Studies on the nutrient quality and associated spoilage fungi of English pear (Pyruscommunis) were carried out in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology Rivers University, Port Harcourt. Healthy and spoilt samples of P. cummunis were purchased from the fruit garden market in D. Line, Port Harcourt and used for the study. Results of Proximate analysis revealed the presence of moisture, ash, lipid, carbohydrate, fiber and protein. It was also observed that all the parameters assessed were higher for the spoilt samples except for moisture (87.51± 0.001) and carbohydrate (10.02± 0.002) which were higher in healthy fruit samples. The mineral contents indicated higher values for all parameters (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, sodium and magnesium) in the healthy samples. However, vitamins A, C, and thiamine were available in higher quantities in healthy fruit samples with equal values recorded for niacin (0.5 ± 0.003) for both healthy and spoilt samples. Anti-nutrient and phytochemical investigations revealed phytate, oxalate, saponin, tannin, carotenoid, polyphynol, flavonoid and lignin to be available in appreciable amounts. Nevertheless, two spoilage fungi viz: Aspergillusflavus and A. niger were isolated fromfrom spoilt fruit samples and implicated to cause spoilage as they both proved pathogenic when inoculated into healthy samples of P. communis. Higher percentage incidence (95%) was recorded for A. flavus whileA. niger had 5%.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.