MICROBIAL EXAMINATION OF SPOILT AVOCADO FRUIT

 ABSTRACT

          Microbial examination of spoilt Avocado fruits was carried out to obtained the causal organism.  A total of 60 avocado from Ogbete Main market and New market Enugu were examined by culturing on nutrient agar and sabourand dextrose agar (SM), for bacteria and fungi causing post – harvest spoilage on the fruits; six bacterial species and six fungal species were isolated. The bacteria include Erwinia SP  (66.7%), Streptococcus sp,  *25%), E. Coli (18.9%) and  staphycoccus sp (33.3%), Pseudomonas sp (20%) and Chromobacterium sp (5%) has the lowest percentage occurrence, Erwinia sp,  Pseudomonas sp and chromobacterium sp were found to be absent in the control.  The fungi species, includes Aspergillus sp  (50%), Pericillium sp  (25%), Fusarium sp  (16.6%), Rhisopus sp  (13.3%), currularia sp (8.3%) and Rhoctorula sp  (3.3%), were also kolated Avocado fruits from Ogbete main market were more contaminated than the avocado form the new market.