Sule, Ismail O.Saliu, Bolanle KudiratZakariyah, Rahmat FolashadeAdegbenro I.O.2024-05-032024-05-032016Sule, I. O., Saliu, B.K., Zakariyah, R. F., and Adegbenro, I. O. (2016) Microbiological quality assessment of ‘’kunu” sold within Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria. Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal for the Tropics. 13(3): 135 – 140,794 – 9057https://uilspace.unilorin.edu.ng/handle/123456789/13572Many individuals prefer locally processed foods to modern day contemporary processed foods. “Kunu” is a popular cereal based non-alcoholic beverage in Nigeria and it is widely consumed especially in the Northern parts of the country. Hence, this research focused on assessing the quality of these locally produced “kunu” drinks. Freshly prepared samples of ‘’Kunu’’ were purchased from local vendors and hawkers within Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria and analyzed for their microbiological and physicochemical quality. The pH of the samples ranged from 2.66 to 4.06. The total bacterial count ranged from 1.5×104 to 7.4×104cfu/ml; the total coliform count ranged from 1.0x102 to 8.0x103cfu/ml; the faecal coliform count ranged from 0 to 3.0x103cfu/ml; and the total fungal count ranged from 3.2x104 to 2.7x105cfu/ml. The presence of high microbial load was an indication of poor hygiene and/or poor quality cereals and water used in the preparation. The bacteria isolated were: Listeria sp., Corynebacterium cystitidis, Aeromonas sp., Corynebacterium amycolatum, Corynebacterium sp., Corynebactarium pseudotuberculosis, Listeria innocua, Kurthia sp., and Corynebacterium ulcerans while the fungi were: Mucor sp., Geotrichum candidum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces sp., Debaryomyces hansenii, and Aspergillus sp. It is concluded from this study that “kunu” contains an array of microorganisms and stringent hygiene should be ensured at all time during and after its production. It is recommended that good quality grain should be used in the production of “kunu”, the production utensils should be devoid of microorganisms, sterile plastic bottles should be used for its packaging, the “kunu” should be pasteurized, and it should be stored under refrigerated condition and consumed within 24 hours of production.enConsumptionInvestigationLocal beverageMicrobial qualityPhysicochemical parametersArticle