Isolation and Identification of Spoilage Fungi Associated With Rice (<em>Oryzae Sativa</em>) Millet (<em>Pennisetum Americamum</em>) and Soybean

Abstract

The main purpose of this work was to isolate and identify the spoilage fungi associated with rice, millet and soybeans. Each grain was purchased from a different market in Owerri metropolis and was wetted for four days. The grain fungi were isolated using cultural and microscopic methods. They were cultured with potatoe dextrose agar (PDA) at 37 oC for four (4) days and their morphological characteristics were identified. The spoilage fungi isolated were Aspergillus species, Rhizopus, Penicilluim, Fusarium, Eurotium, Mucor, Geotrichum, Alternaria, Cladosporium and Actinomyces species. The predominant spoilage fungi in the grains were Aspergillus species. The populations of some spoilage fungi isolated from the grains were not high enough to produce effective dosage. However, there is need to adopt strict hygienic, storage, and preservative practices to prevent the fungi from spoiling the grains.