Aim: Isolation and identification of bacteria associated with the rice husks are of great significance as these by-products can be put to use as livestock feed, catalysts, adsorbents, alternative energy sources, fertilizers, etc. The aim of this study was to determine bacteria associated with rice husk in Puje ward, Wukari, Nigeria.
Methods: A total of thirty (30) rice husk samples were collected from six (6) locations at a rice mill in Puje ward, Wukari, Nigeria. Five (5) samples were collected from each location and were grouped as 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25 and 26-30 respectively. Approximately 10g of each of the samples was weighed into a sterile container and was used for the determination of the bacteria load and the type of bacteria associated with the rice husk using standard microbiological techniques.
Result: The results obtained showed that the highest bacterial count ranged from 2.0 x 1012cfu/g to 3.44 x 1013cfu/g. while the least bacterial count ranged from 2.8 x 1012cfu/g to 1.56 x 1013cfu/g. Bacteria isolated and their occurrences are Staphylococcus species (73.33%), Bacillus species (23.33%), and Streptococcus species (3.33%).
Conclusion: This shows that the rice husks contain a significant number of bacteria and hence, post-harvest processing of rice should be carried out in a more hygienic environment to avoid transfer of the pathogenic strains of these organisms directly to humans. There is also a need for the treatment of the husks before using them as animal feeds.
Key words: Rice husk, pathogenic bacteria, rice mill, Post-harvest contamination, bacteria load
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