Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated with Avocado Pear (Persea americana Mill)

This study's objective is to separate and identify harmful fungus from spoiled avocado pears. Healthy avocado pear fruits were delivered to the lab and left to rot on a lab bench after being purchased from Awka, Nnewi, and Ihiala. Potato dextrose agar (PDA) and SDA agar were used to test the fruits for the presence of fungal infections that cause deterioration. According to the findings, PDA media exhibit greater growth than SDA, and ther45 x 102 CFU/g).e was no statistically significp > 0.005ference (p>0.005) between the fungal counts of the avocado and pear samples collected from the three different sites, with the Eke Awka market sample showing the highes48 x 102 CFUcount (48x102cfu/g), followed by the Total Market47 x 102 CFUample (47x102cfu/g), and the Nnewi market sample showing the lowest fungal count (45x102cf Based on their colonial and physical traits, the fungus responsible for the fruit deterioration was identified. The investigation also revealed that a total of 5 isolates of fungus from fruits, including Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Rhizopus sp., Fusarium spp., and Candida spp., were collected. Of        them, isolates of Aspergillus niger species were found most commonly (36%). Rhizopus species and Candida were next, each with an infection incidence of 18%, while Fusarium solani and Penicillium digitatum were the least common (141%). Aspergillus niger, one of the identified fungi, was the least harmful and produced the least amount of fruit rot. R. stolonifer, Fusarium solani, Candida tropicalis, and Penicillium digitatum were the least pathogenic and caused the most fast disintegration of treated fruits in 3-5 days. This study has demonstrated that fungus is to blame for fruit rotting. This study has demonstrated that fungus is to blame for fruit rotting. Producing, preparing, and preserving foods like fruit salads must be done as quickly and hygienically as possible using high-quality tools, products, and materials since fruits are typically infested by harmful fungus.