Mycological assessment of different types of cake sold in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Spoilage of cake during storage is commonly associated with fungi. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing the quality of different types of cake (chocolate, fruit, vanilla, carrot and red velvet cake) sold in Port Harcourt metropolis. A total of fourteen cakes were sampled from three vendors and stored for twelve days at ambient temperature (29±2^oC). Monitoring of total fungal count (TFC) and identification of fungal species isolated from the cake samples were carried out at 24 hour intervals using standard microbiological methods. The result obtained showed that 48.21% of the cake samples met the standard recommended by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) and the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) at the intervals they were monitored during the storage period. Non-viable fungal count were reported in the cake samples within the first 2 days; fruit cake samples till day 9. The TFC of the cake samples steadily increased during the storage period with few exceptions. Carrot cake samples had the highest TFC (7.02 log₁₀CFU/g). Fusarium spp. (32%), Aspergillus niger (27.33%), Penicillium notatum (17.33%), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (10.67%), A. flavus (9.33%), Cladosporium sphaerospermum (2.67%) and Candida albicans (0.67%) were encountered in the cake samples. During the period of storage, fungi was first observed in fruit cake on day 10 whereas, it was earlier reported in other types of cake. Therefore, freshly baked cake produced in commercial quantity and stored at ambient temperature should be consumed within few days to avoid individuals experiencing foodborne illnesses.