జర్నల్ ఆఫ్ మైక్రోబియల్ & బయోకెమికల్ టెక్నాలజీ

నైరూప్య

PREVALENCE OF TOXIGENIC MYCOFLORA IN GROUNDNUT CAKE (KULIKULI)  SOLD IN NIGER STATE,

Muhammad Musa*, Adebola MO, Aremu MB, Zainab MB, Habib MB

Deterioration of groundnut cake ('kuli kuli') a by-product of processed groundnut oil consumed widely in Nigeria is of great concern. Therefore, this study investigated the toxigenic mycoflora commonly present in kuli kuli sold in the markets in Niger state, Nigeria. A total of eighteen (18) samples were collected from 10 markets across each of the three agricultural zones of Niger state, namely; Bida, Mokwa (zone 1), Minna, Shiroro (Zone 2), Kotongora, and Kagara (zone 3) respectively. Isolation of associated fungi was done on PDA inoculated with 10⁴ dilution factors and incubated at room temperature. A total of 166 fungal species were identified which include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Fussarium. The order of percentage occurrence (A. niger 27.11% being the highest and F. oxysporum 4.82% the least) was A. niger (27.11%)>A. flavus (19.88%)>P. chrysogenum (16.87%)>A. parasiticus (11.45%)>Rhizopus spp.(10.84%)>A. fumigatus (9.03%)>F. oxysporum (4.82%). The result indicates that majority of fungi isolated from kuli kuli sold in the markets in Niger state are toxigenic fungi. Therefore, improved management of these oil rich products from the farm, postharvest storage, and processing will enhance the high quality product to access a larger market and reduce the risk of health challenges that go with consuming contaminated kuli kuli.