Report and Opinion, 2011;3(1) http://www.sciencepub.net/report Antimicrobial potentials of some spices on beef sold in Gwagwalada market, FCT, Abuja Agarry Olubunmi Olaitan*, Ugoh Sylvanus Chukwudi and Abeku Margaret Department of Biological Sciences, University of Abuja, Nigeria Corresponding author: oluagarry@yahoo.com ABSTRACT: Studies on the antimicrobial activities of some spices on beef sold in Gwagwalada market, F.C.T, Abuja were carried out. The spices were chopped to sizes and were mixed with the beef sample. The bacterial load count of the beef sample before treatment is 1.9 x 10 7 and after treatment were 1.0x10 3 , 1.5 x10 3 and 1.6x10 3 for garlic, thyme and bayleaf respectively. The fungal spore count of beef sample before treatment is 1.0x10 2 and x0.510 2, 0.1x 10 2 , 0.6x10 2 for the thyme, bayleaf and garlic respectively. The fungal spore count for the beef and sample after treatment with the spices combined is 0.1x10 1 . The microbial isolates of beef sample include: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp, Proteus spp and Bacillus spp for bacterial isolates and fungal isolates were Aspergillus niger, Mucor spp, Rhizopus spp and Aspergillus flavus the combined effect of the three spices inhibited the growth of S. aureus, Bacillus spp, Proteus spp, A. flavus and Mucor spp. [Agarry Olubunmi Olaitan, Ugoh Sylvanus Chukwudi and Abeku Margaret. Antimicrobial potentials of some spices on beef sold in Gwagwalada market, FCT, Abuja. Report and Opinion 2011;3(1):96-98]. (ISSN: 1553- 9873). http://www.sciencepub.net . Keywords: Antimicrobial agents, spices, meat INTRODUCTION Spices are strongly flavoured parts of plants usually rich in essential oils used in fresh or dry forms (Iwu, 1993). Some spices are reported to have bactericidal or bacteriostatic activities (Onwuliri and Wonang, 2005). The inhibitory effects of spices are mostly due to the volatile oils present in their composition (Arora-Daljit and Kaur, 1997), factors that determine the antimicrobial activity of spices are the concentration and composition of the spices, the amount of spices used, type of microorganisms, composition of the food, P H value, temperature of the environment and proteins, lipids, salts and phenolic substances present in the food (Sagdic, 2003). Bayleaf is the dried leaf of cinnamon jamale. It is a medium sized tree which grows in many parts of India, more likely in Khasi hills. The leaves are commonly used as a spice for flavouring various kinds of curries, some sweet preparation of vegetables, fruits and in food preservation. Bayleaf is used as medicines (Chandarana et al., 2005). Thyme (thyme vulgaries) belongs to the family laminaceae. The oil of thyme is important and is obtained by distillation of the fresh leaves and flowering tops of thyme vulgaris. Its chief constituents are from 20-25% of phenols, thymol and carvacol. They are valuable for medicinal purposes (Juven et al., 1994). Thyme has a partial or complete anti-flatulence, anti-phlegmasia effect in addition to regulating digestion. Thyme is enemy of poison. It is antispasm and pain. It eases blood flow and invokes sexual activities and promotes consciousness and intelligence (Muhammad and Ali, 2006). Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant of the family of Alliaceae. Garlic is widely used in many forms of cooking for its strong flavour when crushed or finely chopped. It yields allicin - a powerful antibiotic (Prescott et al., 2008), it also contains Allin, Ajoene, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals and flavonoids. Garlic consists of not less than 200 components, these include antioxidants, the volatile oils, (allin, allicin and ajoene) consisting of sulfur, enzymes (allinase, peroxidase and miracynase), carbohydrates (sucrose, glucose), mineral (germanium, selenium, Zinc), amino acids like cysteine, glutamine isoleucine and methionine, bi- flavonoids like quercetin and cyanidin and allistatin I and II,C,E and A vitamins and niacin, B 1 ,B 2 vitamins and beta carotene (Gulsen and Erol, 2010). Meat is a highly perishable food items, the high perishability is due to high temperature (Buchanan, 1986). Meat is frequently involved in food- borne illnesses because they provide ideal media for the growth of disease – causing microorganisms (Pearson and Dutson, 1986). Ouattara et al., 1997 stated that essential oils from plant products that contain carvacrol and eugenol have been shown to exhibit the strongest antimicrobial activity (Prescott et al., 2008). This study therefore aims at isolation and identification of microorganisms associated with meat spoilage and to evaluate the potency and the inhibitory effects of spices as preservative agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS Collection of samples 96