One gram (1 g) of each sample was dissolved in sterile deionized water and serially diluted. One milliliter (1 ml) of appropriate dilutions was seeded on plate count agar using spread plate method, and the medium was then incubated at 37°C for 24 h. The plate count agar was examined and colonies present were counted and recorded after incubation at 37°C for 24 h to get the total colony count in cfu g-1.