Microbial profile of common spices and spice blends used in Tamale, Ghana

Background: The main purpose of using spice to grill meat is to add aroma, colour, flavour, taste and pungency. However, the purpose is sometime befitted when spice is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria that result in foodborne illnesses and toxicological effect. Results: The study was necessitated by paucity information on handling practices and microbial load common spices used for grilling meat, Ghana. A total of twenty spice samples were collected from five popular and widely patronised...