Microbiological, Nutritional and Sensory Evaluation of Ogba Instant Native ‘Ukashi’ Soup

Ogba native soup prepared using indigenous leafy vegetables is relished by the people irrespective of social status. Although native soups are popularly known to be nutritious, they are predisposed to microbial contamination that poses a threat to human health. In this study, cooked and uncooked native ‘ukashi’ soups were prepared and the samples were subjected to microbiological and proximate analysis using Standard methods. Sensory evaluation of the samples involved the use of 9 point Hedonic scale. Heterotrophic bacterial count and total fungal count of uncooked ‘ukashi’ soup (UUS) is 7.15 log10CFU/ml each, whereas no values was recorded for cooked ‘ukashi’ soup (CUS). Yeasts were found in the UUS. In the same sample, Vibrio spp., Enterobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Citrobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were present while Salmonella spp. and Enterobacter spp were found in the CUS. The moisture, ash, carbohydrate, lipid, crude fibre and protein of CUS/UUS is 27.1/33.65 %, 4.60/3.85 %, 32.89/31.11 %, 19.71/15.49 %, 7.41/5.45 %, and 8.30/10.45 %, respectively. Based on the sensory evaluation report, cooked ‘ukashi’ soup is preferable than uncooked ‘ukashi’ soup.