Abstract
Irvingia gabonensis (Ogbono) is one of the forest tree species of great domestic importance and its postharvest shelve life is affected by various species of fungi. This study is to investigate the effect of various species of fungi that attack Irvingia gabonensis seeds in post-harvest. Ready to use cotyledons of Ogbono were obtained from six (6) markets in Benin City (New Benin market, Aduwawa market, Uselu market, Oba market, Ikpoba Hill market, Santana market) Edo State, in sterile transparent polyethylene bags and transported to the laboratory for analyses. The proximate composition of the Ogbono seeds was determined using standard protocols. The pour plate method was used for isolation using a potato Dextrose Agar which was supplemented with streptomycin. The fungi were isolated based on their cultural and microscopic characteristics. The result of the highest and lowest fungal counts were too numerous to count and 3.3 × 103 cfu/g respectively. A total of seven species of fungi were isolated and identified in this study which included Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Mucor sp., Neurospora sp., Penicillium sp., and Rhizopus sp. Aspergillus flavus was the most prevalent fungi with prevalence rate of 48 (90.6%), while Neurospora sp. was the least prevalent fungi with prevalent rate of 04 (18.2%). The presence of these fungi especially Aspergillus species portrays a serious public health implication as regard food poisoning, mycotocosis and food security. Proper handling methods of Ogbono seeds, coupled with good orientation are necessary to ensure the safety of ogbono seeds.
Highlights
Irvinga gabonensis has a variety of important uses; both the fruit and kernel of the seed are edible and play important roles in nutritional supplements and food security in West and Central Africa, especially among rural dwellers and its fruits constitute a very important soup condiment in Nigeria Onyekwelu and Bernd (2006)
Several studies have shown that Irvingia seed kernels displayed on shelves for sales in Nigerian markets are often contaminated with spoilage fungi like Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus and in turn the contaminated seed kernels possess aflatoxin, which are harmful to the consumers (Adebayo-Tayo et al, (2006); Iyayi et al, (2010); Wu and Khlangwiset, (2010)
The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the post-harvest fungal species that infest Irvingia gabonensis cotyledons sold in some markets within Benin City
Summary
Irvinga gabonensis has a variety of important uses; both the fruit and kernel of the seed are edible and play important roles in nutritional supplements and food security in West and Central Africa, especially among rural dwellers and its fruits constitute a very important soup condiment in Nigeria Onyekwelu and Bernd (2006). It is rich in vitamin C and is widely consumed as a dessert fruit or snack throughout Western and Central Africa Leakey and Newton (1994).
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