THE IMPACT OF FUNGAL SPOILAGE ON MUFFINS WITH CHESTNUT,COCONUT OR WHEAT FLOUR

In this study, muffins made with various flour types (chestnut, coconut, and wheat) and sweeteners (sugar and stevia) are examined for fungal spoilage.Fungal isolation and identification were carried out using Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) incubation and microscopic analysis.Penicillium spp. was found to be the most common spoilage genus in all muffins.Food spoilage fungi like Penicillium, Nigrospora, and Rhizopus were highly tolerant of the muffin made with wheat flour and stevia.Muffins containing chestnut flour, with either sugar or stevia, also showed high acceptability to food spoilage fungi such as Penicillium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Fusarium.Conversely, muffins made with a blend of chestnut-coconut flour and stevia showed lower fungal growth.Fungal contamination was not solely influenced by moisture content, suggesting that flour type and sweetener, as well as their antimicrobial qualities, also contribute to fungal growth.