Isolation, Characterization and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Bacterial and Fungal Organisms of Spoiled Tomato Fruits

By growing in food, bacteria and fungi produce enzymes that break down food, thus causing food spoilage. In the present study, bacterial and fungal organisms causing spoilage of tomato fruits were isolated, characterized and tested for their antimicrobial sensitivity pattern. Forty tomato samples showing signs of spoilage were bought from tomato fruit vendors Ranipet District, Tamil Nadu State, India were subjected to the isolation of bacteria and fungi. The dominant microbial isolates were Escherichia coli (87%), Salmonella typhi (75%), Staphylococcus aureus (62%), Candida albicans (37%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (25%). S. aureus was highly sensitive to Cocos nucifera oil (26.0 mm zone of inhibition) which was higher than that of the antibiotic ampicillin (25 mm zone of inhibition) followed by amikacin, gentamicin and vancomycin. The maximum zone of inhibition was observed in C. nucifera oil and chloramphenicol compared with levofloxacin, amikacin, gentamycin against S. typhi. A. fumigatus was found to be highly sensitive to C. nucifera oil compared with fluconazole, and Ketoconazole, moderately sensitive to itraconazole and amphotericin-B. The antimicrobial effect of C. nucifera oil revealed that there is a possibility of developing antimicrobial agent.