Examination of fungi responsible for the bio-deterioration of stored groundnuts

Abstract

A study on the bio-deterioration of stored groundnut by fungi species from four different species obtained from various Crop Research Institutes in Nigeria was carried out. The percentage frequency occurrence of the species was determined by Pour Plate Method. The isolates obtained were identified and characterized by microscopic assessment and organoleptic evaluations.  Five fungal species namely Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium expansum were isolated from the analyzed samples. The result showed all the four samples had high number of Mould Occurrence with the Sample nut from the Institute of Agriculture Zaria having the highest occurrence of 59.82%, followed by the sample from the Zamfara State Agricultural Development Project (ZSADP), Gusau Zamfara State with 55.27%, the College of Agriculture, Bakura, Zamfara state has 52.74% while the International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Kano office has the least occurrence of 35.53%. The results obtained showed that these fungal species are capable of surviving in the infected stored groundnuts. Deterioration otherwise, known as spoilage during storage is as a result of the absorption of atmospheric moisture and inadequate drying before storage.