Assessment of mycological quality of commercially sold Yogurt in Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

Assessment of the mycological quality of commercially sold yoghurt in Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria was carried out in this study. Five different brands of yoghurt coded A to E were analyzed using standard microbiological methods. Total fungal count ranged from 0.5×10¹ cfu/ml – 0.6x10³ CFU/mL. Fungi isolated include Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. And Rhizopus sp. Antifungal susceptibility studies showed susceptibility of fungal isolates to all antifungal agents tested including Amphotericin-B (20 μg), Itraconazole (10 μg), fluconazole (25 μg) and Ketoconazole (10 μg). The presence of fungi in the yoghurt may be as a result of unclean water used in the production, contaminated milk and unhygienic condition of the handlers. It is recommended that yoghurt producers, sellers and handlers should ensure hygienic practices and avoid long exposure of yoghurt before selling to consumers.