Microorganisms Associated with Pearl Millet Cultivars at Various Malting Stages

Microbiological analysis of samples taken at various stages of malting pearl millet cultivars was investigated. The results indicated that total bacterial count, mould count, staphylococcal count, coliform count and yeast count ranged from 4.08 to 5.28 log10 CFU/g, 2.50 to 3.71, 1.78 to 4.20, 2.65 to 3.65, and 2.54 to 3.70, respectively. The predominant microorganism in unmalted grain was Bacillus subtilis, while green malt had Rhizopus arrhizus and Proteus vulgaris as the predominant microorganisms. Rhizopus arrhizus occurred at a higher frequency (75.0%) in dried and polished malts. Most of the microorganisms were widely distributed, particularly Torulopsis glabrata, Lactobacillus plantarum and Streptococcus lactis. The population of microorganisms isolated from malting stages was not high enough to produce effective dose. However, there is the need to adopt strict hygiene practices to prevent malt from being sources of contamination to malt based foods.