ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to isolate and identify fungi from stale bread which helps broaden the knowledge of fungi present in bread. Five different kinds of bread were bought from Umudike market in Umuahia. Abia state and taken to the laboratory, where they were left for some days to stale. The samples were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) using the plate method, it was incubated at 28°c for 4days .The culture plate was purified by subculturing on freshly prepared potato destrose agar (PDA) plates and then incubated for 4days at 29°c. Lactophenol cotton blue was used in identifying the fungi present. The fungal isolates were identified through cultural characteristics and morphological characteristics. A total of 45 fungal isolates where obtained and identified as 6 different fungal species. The mean counts offungi identified ranged from 2.1 x 105 to 7.1 x 105 respectively. The predominant Fungi isolates obtained are Aspergillus Niger, Fusarium Oxysporum, Aspergillus Flavus, Rhizopus Stolonifer, Mucor Alternaria, Rhodotorula species. The fungi were isolated with the percentage occurrence ofAspergillus Flavus (28.9%), Mucor Alternaria (22.2%), Aspergillus Niger (15.6%), Rhizopus Stolonifer (8.9%) and Fusarium Oxysporum(6.7°/o), Rhodotorula sp (17.8%). Aspergllus Flavus was the most frequently occurring isolate with percentage occurrence of 13(28.9%) and Fusarium oxysporum has the least percentage occurrence of 3(6.7%). The stale sample breads (C) has highest number of fungal with (11) follow by sample (B) with (10) fungal isolate and the lowest recorded at table A and D with (8) fungal isolates respectively