Mycoflora Associated with Post Harvest Processing Stages of Kolanut (Cola Nitida Vent Schott of Endlicher)

The mycoflora associated with processing stages of kolanut post-harvest were evaluated at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan Nigeria. Several samples of healthy and infected kolanut were obtained at various stages of primary processing (skinning, washing, sweating and storage). Fungi isolations were carried out by plating each sample of visibly healthy and infected nuts on malt extract agar in 9-cm petri dishes at 25° C. Similarly frequency of occurrence of fungal isolates were evaluated from the nut and the processing water. Botrydiplodia Theobramae, Fusarium pallidoroseum, Aspergillus Sp. Penicillum sp. Curvularia sp. and Mucor sp . were isolated from the infected kola nuts . The frequency of occurrence of B. theobromae and F Pallidoroseum was 0.7 and 0.6 respectively in kolanuts obtained after the washing stage. whereas, it was 0.12 and 0.37 respectively in nuts obtained during storage. The mycoflora of the kolanut after the washing stage were not markedly different from that obtained during sweating (P = 0.05). The diameter of colonies of the most common fungi encountered were also determined. The mycelial growth of F. Pallidoroseum ranked highest after five days of incubation. The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 5 Number 4 (October - December 2000), pp. 129-131