CONTROL OF FUNGAL GROWTH IN SWEET ORANGE AND MANGO JUICE S BYJustica flava and Aframonium melegueta EXTRACTS

Abstract

A fruit is the seed bearing structure in flowering plants formed from the ovary after flowering. It is the fleshy seed associated structures of a plant that are sweet or sour, and edible in the raw state. In their harvested form, they vary widely in nutritional contribution, density and dietary bioactive content. Fruit are seasonal, highly perishable and prone to post harvest losses. They offer the most rapid and lowest cost of providing adequate supply of vitamins, minerals and fiber to the people who live in the tropics. A study was carried out to determine the effect of Justica flava and Aframoniummelegueta extract on the growth of Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer and Fusarium species in sweet orange and mango juices. The results revealed that aqueous extract 3% (v/v) of Justica flava and Aframoniummelegueta reduced the growth of the fungi, a combination of 2% (v/v) each of Justica flava and Aframoniummelegueta extracts retarded the growth better. Partial purification of aqueous extracts of  Justica flava and Aframonium melegueta showed that ethyl acetate fraction of the extract exhibited the highest level of inhibition of growth of the test fungi compared with diethyl ether and n-hexane fractions. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which the extracts of Justica flava and Aframonium melegueta could control the growth of Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer and Fusarium in sweet orange and mango juices. This study suggests that extracts of Justica flava and Aframoniummelegueta may be important substitutes for conventional chemical preservatives in the processing of fruit juices.