Effects of Storage Methods and Duration on the Microbial Composition and Load of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum [L.], Solanaceae) Fruits

Year 2019, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 1 - 7, 28.06.2019

Matthew Chidozie Ogwu

https://doi.org/10.17678/beuscitech.378001

Cited By: 5

Abstract

Tomato
is a widely cultivated fruit vegetable in Nigeria. They are valued for their
fruits, which are consumed fresh or processed. The method and duration of
storage have profound effects on the economic value and utilization of the
fruits. Therefore, this study was set up to investigate the efficacy of three
common storage methods (plastic basket, concrete floor and refrigeration at 4 ^oC)
by conducting microbial assessment. Freshly harvested fruits were sourced from
two locations in Benin City, Nigeria and stored for a period of four weeks. Microbial composition and load was determined
using standard laboratory techniques initially (on the first day) and every
week afterwards. Results showed that the microbial load increased with
prolonged storage. Tomato fruits stored in plastic basket had the highest mean
total microbial count (132 × 10⁵ CFU/mL), whereas those stored in the refrigerator had the least
(3 × 10⁵
CFU/mL).
The common microorganisms isolated from the stored fruits include the fungi; Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Rhizopus, Penicillium spp., and
yeast cells as well as the bacteria; Staphylococcus
sp. E. coli, Salmonella and Enterobacter
spp. These results suggest that refrigeration will extend the shelf life of
tomato fruits and minimize the rate of spoilage due to microbial composition
and load

Keywords

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), Microbial load, Economic plants, Fruitosphere

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