Research Article Open Access

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FUNGAL GROWTH IN COMMERCIALLY AND LABORATORY PREPARED FRUIT JUICES - USING ORANGE AND PINEAPPLE AS A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Juices stored under warm and cold conditions (27oC and 4oC) were comparatively analyzed for yeast and mould growth. Two commercially prepared canned orange and pineapple juice and laboratory prepared pasteurized ones were analysed. A total of 68 yeast isolates and 64 mould isolates were indentified using fungal plate count Agar. Fourteen different yeasts species were identified representing 11 genera while twenty-nine mould species were from 16 genera. Distributions of yeasts and mould species were considerably different depending on sample type. Eight different yeast and 13 mould species were isolated from canned pineapple (CP) juice while 4 yeast and 10 mould species were from pasteurized pineapple (PP). Among CP isolated were Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida utilis, C albicans Geotrichum candidum and Aspergillus versicolor while in (PP), C. albicans, C. itilis, S. cerevisiae and Diplodia spp were predominant. Eleven different yeasts and 13 moulds species were from canned orange (CO); S. cerevisiae 27%, G. candidum 17%, S. ruseus 14% and A. restrictus 11%. Eight yeast and 12 mould species were from pasteurized orange (PO); Pichia fermentans 18%, Byssochlamys nivea 13% and G. candidum 13%. In all, yeasts; S. cerevisiae 22%, G. candidum and C. pseudotropicalis 10% and moulds: B. nivea 9.5%, Monilia 7.8% and Alternaria sp 6.3% were predominant. High hygienic practices if enforced will significantly reduce the population of highly fermentative yeast and mycotoxin mould strains from processed juices and hence will be safe for consumption.

H.I.J. UDOTA AND E.E. URUA