“Tapioca” Cassava a flake is described by- Olajide in (2007) as a pregelled, snow white, bland, shredded and dried cassava product. In tapioca processing, raw cassava tubers are uprooted from the farm, cut out form the root and washed to remove the dirt and soil, it is cooked in a boiling water to infuse colloids stickiness and get long strands, then it is pealed to get the edible parts and then shredded with a shredding machine. The shredded tubers are allowed to ferment for 24 hours in a basin filled with ordinary water, even the cassava is washed several times to remove the stickiness.
The wet materials are sieved to drain excess water, dried in the sun for preservative purpose during which a considerable portion of available moisture in the food material is removed and gynogenic glycoside in the tubers is decomposed thereby releasing hydrogen cyniade (HCN) Okafor et al (2004). The dried cassava contains 10-12% water, 60-72% starch, 0-01 – 0.02% glycoside reported Azam – Ali et al According to Oyewole et al (2006), detoxification of cassava consist the removal of the poisoning cynogenic glycoside which consist mainly lataustralin and linamanna. It is during processing such as fermentation, peeling, grating, boiling and drying in the sun that cassava becomes detoxified. Collard Oranusi et al (2004) Attributed, the detoxification of cassava to the action of bacterium called Corynebacterium manihot which breaks down IIe starch to sugar and ultimately to organic which decreases the PH
and leads to the hydrolysis of linaniarin and lataustralin during which gaseous hydrogen cyananic acid (HCN) is evolved. Cassava is processed into Tapioca to increase its shelf life, make for variety of product, portability and removal of cyanide. Processing also preserves the food form decomposition and makes it available for future use (Ihekeronye and Ngoddy 2001). The processing of cassava product into tapioca make it easy for transportation and packaging compared to the bulky fresh nature.The dried cassava product (tapioca) is of many significances to the society, example, it serves as “ready to eat food”, it also serve as delicacy and as food in the ceremonies. “Tapioca” can also serve as source of income in the society and so on.
This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of bacteria in the tapioca sold in Oko. To determine the level of bacteria that can cause food poisoning after consumption.
Micro-organisms are found everywhere in nature. Some of these are pathogenic in nature and can multiply freely, others exists as transient microorganisms while some exist also as facultative anaerobes. In different shops in Oko for food sellers, prepared tapioca are left open from the time they started selling till the time they finish selling and such extended exposure can allow the growth of microorganisms into the tapioca and when ingested by the consumer can cause food poisoning. Sometimes, saliva due to excess talking of the seller contaminates the food and when taken in by consumer may cause gastroenteritis. Therefore the problem lies at the unhygienic practice by the sellers before and while selling the food to the consumers.
To enlighten the food handlers to appreciate clean environment because most bacteria discovered to be implicated in the food like tapioca is due to unhygienic practice (Olatunji 2001
Also to create awareness to the academic world that there us tendency of bacteria growth on the food that is exposed to air for a longtime ad the implication is food poisoning.
This work is limited to the use of three media like Nutrient agar, MacConkey agar and Blood agar to examine the bacteria implicated in tapioca. It is also limited to federal polytechnic oko due to insufficient time to go other areas.