BIOCHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NGA-PI COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS OF BANGLADESH

Abstract

Nga-pi, fermented product traditionally produced at Cox’s Bazar and Rangamati region is one of the popular food items among the ethnic people in Bangladesh.The present study was carried out to investigate the microbiological and chemical characteristic of Nga-pi. Samples were collected from the producers of Nga-pi in from different sampling areas (1) Cox’s Bazar, (2) Mahesh khali, (3) Rangamati and (4) Teknaf. After analyzing the proximate composition of collected samples, it was found that Nga-pi from the Teknaf region has the highest protein value (55.03%), lipid (6.62%), ash content (18.49%) and moisture (51.19%) was higher in Mahesh khali samples. Among the samples collected from four regions, moisture content was found to be higher in the samples from Rangamati. The values of amino acids greatly varied in terms of every amino acid among the samples. The microbial load of Nga-pi was determined against Vibrio cholera, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella. Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were present on the samples collected from Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, Mahesh khali and Teknaf region. No Vibrio cholera, E. coli, Salmonella or Shigella was found in either of the samples collected from different regions. The marketing channel of Nga-pi was also analyzed during the study period. Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban was found to be the major trade point of Nga-pi. The wholesalers of these region collect