FUNGAL CONTAMINATION OF BITTER KOLA( GARCINIA KOLA) SOLD IN MAKURDI METROPOLIS
Abstract
Fungi are ubiquitous in the environment and can colonize a variety of food sources. Fungal contamination of bitter kola may occur as a result of poor hygiene practices during processing, handling and storage. This study was carried out to investigate fungal contamination of bitter kola (Garcinia kola) sold in Makurdi Metropolis. Forty (40) samples of seemingly healthy bitter kola (Garcinia kola) were purchased from retailers in Wurukum, Wadata, Railway and Modern markets ten (10) per market. The bitter kola (Garcinia kola) samples were collected in a sterile polythene bags, labelled appropriately and taken to Plant Science and Biotechnology Laboratory of Benue State University for further analysis. Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) was prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Bitter kola (Garcinia kola) was cut into small sizes and sterilized tissue were isolated and inoculated into Petri dishes containing about 20 ml of solidified PDA. The fungi were identified based on their colonial morphology, mycelia structure, nature of spores and associated structures. A total of five (5) different fungal species were observed which include: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus stolonifer and Alternaria sp. Aspergillus niger was the most occurring fungus with the occurrence of 28 representing 38.89%, this was followed by A. fumigatus 21 (29.17%), Rhizopus stolonifer 12 (16.67%), Aspergillus flavus 6 (8.33%) and Alternaria sp. which had the least occurrence of 5 which translated to 6.94% of the total occurrence observed. The samples obtained from Wurukum market had the highest fungal occurrence of 26 (36.11%). The result from this study showed that the following fungi; Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus stolonifer and Alternaria sp are associated with the contamination and spoilage of bitter kola in Makurdi Metropolis. It is therefore recommended that bitter kola should be stored in appropriate conditions to minimize fungal growth and contamination.
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