FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH SPOILAGE OF PINEAPPLE (Ananas comosus L) FRUIT SOLD IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

The edible fruit of the tropical plant known as Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is commonly grown in Nigeria. Its high sugar content and low pH values make it susceptible to fungi. This study aims to identify those that can cause the spoilage of the fruit in the state. Five markets in Anambra state were visited to collect samples of pineapple (Eke Awka, Nnamdi Azikiwe temporary site (Temp. site), Nnewi, Uli, and Ihiala). They were then transported to a research facility in Awka, where they were studied for the fungi that cause the fruit's spoilage. The samples were treated with the standard procedure. The culture media used for the study were potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Both were placed into a conical flask and subjected to an autoclave at a rate of 121ºC at 15psi for 20 minutes. In the study, various fungi that can cause the fruit's spoilage were identified, which included the Fusarium sp, Mucor sp, Aspergillus sp and Penicillium sp. Samples from Ihiala had the highest fungal counts (57 x 102 + 0.017a cfu/g) on PDA while samples from Temp. site had the highest fungal count (99 x 102 + 1.112a cfu/g) on SDA. Also, samples from Uli had the lowest fungal counts (22.00 x102+ 0.111d cfu/g) on PDA while samples from Nnewi had the highest fungal count (36.00 x102+ 0.100e cfu/g) on SDA. Aspergillus sp (47.91%) had the highest frequency of occurrence from the fungi isolated while Fusarium sp (10.42%) had the least occurrence. From the study, Aspergillus sp is the fungi specie that is responsible for the spoilage of pineapple fruits in the locations studied in Anambra State although other species of fungi can also affect pineapple fruits.