ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF PATHOGENS FROM SPOILT BERRIES (TOMATOES)
Abstract
Tomato contains large amount of water which makes it more susceptible to spoilage by fungi. These fungi that spoil tomatoes produce mycotoxins that are detrimental to human health. This study was therefore carried out to isolate, characterize and identify the fungi associated with tomato fruits. Thirty (30) tomato samples were collected from different markets in Enugu Markets. Ten fold serial dilution was prepared, and the fungi load was determined. The average fungal counts ranged between 1.3 x 103 and 2.0 x 103 cfu/ml, while the fungal isolates were Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium oxysporum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Alternaria alternata, Penicillium digitatum and Geotrichum candidum. The percentage occurrence of the isolates in the fruits from Afia Nine was the highest (32.73%) whilethat of the fruits from Mall was the least (12.73%). Aspergillus niger had the highest percentage occurrence (47.27%) in the fruits studied, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Geotrichum candidum having the lowest percentage occurrence (3.64%). Pathogenicity testresult showed that Aspergillus niger also had the highest decay diameter of 30mm in the healthy tomato fruits while Geotrichum candidum had the lowest decay diameter. Proper handling and adequate storage facilities must therefore be employed to
prolong the shelf life of tomato fruits.
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