ABSTRACT

Contamination of poultry meat (frozen chicken) with foodborne pathogens remains an important public health issue, because it lead to illness if there are malpractices in handling, cooking or post-cooking storage of the product. The microbiological quality of frozen chicken were analyzed to determine their microbiological quality. Eighteen samples of frozen chicken were collected from five different markets (Gate 6, Ahieke, Amaoba, Nndoru, Ubani) in Umuahia metropolis. Three (3) fresh chicken served as control while fifteen (15) were frozen chicken parts (Leg, wing and lap) samples. The isolation, identifications, characterization and microbial counts were done using standard microbiological techniques methods.  All the frozen chicken samples from the five sellers examined were contaminated with some bacterial and fungal species namely, Klebsiella species, Bacillus species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aurues, Salmonella species and Shigella species and fungal isolates were Rhizopus stolonifer and Mucor Species. The lap part of chicken has microbial loads from 3.0 x 105 to 8.3 x 105 while the fresh chicken (control) range from 5.7 x 105 to 9.1 x 105.The wing part of chicken has microbial loads from 2.2 x 105 to 6.7 x 105 while the fresh chicken (control) range from 6.2 x 105 to 9.1 x 105 and leg part of chicken has microbial load range from 2.3 x 105 to 8.7 x 105 while the fresh chicken (control) range from 7.4 x 105 to 8.6 x 105. Escherichia coli had the highest percentage occurrence 15(16.7%), followed by Shigella species 13(14.4%) and the least was Salmonella species 8(8.9%). These finding suggest that most of the frozen chicken parts stored in the open market may constitute sources of microbial food poisoning public health hazard.