ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS FROM SPOILED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN RIVERS STATE'S FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC OF OIL AND GAS

This study was conducted to isolate and identify microorganisms from some spoiled fruits and vegetables vended within the environment of Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas Bonny Island, Rivers State. Microbial counts of the spoiled fruits and vegetables are 2.30x105 cfu/ml (tomato), 8.00x105 cfu/ml (apple), 1.70x107 cfu/ml (onion) and 1.50x109 cfu/ml (banana) for total heterotrophic bacteria count, while the fungal counts were 3.00x103 cfu/ml (apple), 4.00x103 cfu/ml (onion), 5.00x103 cfu/ml (tomato) and 7.00x103 cfu/ml (banana). The fruits and vegetables were isolated for bacteria, and Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., Escherichia coli and Proteus spp. Bacillus spp. were observed to be dominant. The fungal organisms observed were Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Saccharomyces spp., Rhizopus spp. and Mucor spp.