ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2017
Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr
© 2017 International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Mycoflora of stored “Ofada” and “Abakaliki” rice in Lagos and Ogun States, Southwestern Nigeria
Y. M. Somorin1* and S. A. Bankole2
1Department of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, P. O. Box 851, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
2Department of Microbiology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, P. M. B. 2002, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Accepted 22 June, 2017
Abstract
The presence of fungal contaminants in Ofada and Abakaliki rice varieties under storage in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria were examined. The fungal species isolated from the Ofada rice were Actinomycetes spp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tamarii, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Fusarium compacticum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Penicillium oxalicum, Rhizopus nigricans, Rhizopus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Abakaliki rice was contaminated with A. flavus, A. niger, A. tamarii, F. compacticum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, Penicillium citrinu, P. oxalicum, R. nigricans, R. oryzae and S. cerevisiae. A. niger (80%) was the predominant fungal species while Actinomycetes spp. (6.7%) was the least isolated. Some of these fungi are known to produce mycotoxins which have several health and economic implications. The presence of such species as seen in this study may show a potential risk of mycotoxin contamination in Ofada and Abakaliki rice varieties.
Key words: Fungi, contaminants, Ofada, Abakaliki, rice, mycotoxin, mycoflora.