ABSTRACT

Investigation of microorganism associated with the spoilage of banana and pawpaw were carried out. The isolation of bacteria from the banana and pawpaw was carried out on Nutrient agar, MacConkey agar and salmonella shigella agar while that of fungi was on Sabouraud Dextrose agar. A total of seven (7) bacteria and two (2) fungi isolates were obtained. The bacteria isolates were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp, Klebsiella spp, Enterococcus spp, Salmonalla spp  and Shigella spp. The fungal isolates were Aspergillus flavus and  Aspergillus niger  The highest occurring bacterium was Escherichia coli (40%),and the least were Salmonella and Shigella spp (10%) Staphylococcus aureus (30%), Pseudomonas spp (25%), Klebsiella spp, (25%), Enterococcus spp (20%). The highest fungus was Aspergillus flavus (25%), and   the least was Aspergillus niger (15%). The result showed that pawpaw and banana from Ndioru market  has the highest bacteria count of 6.6 x102cfu/ml, 5.3 x 104cfu/ml and fungal count of 2.9 x 104cfu/ml. The comparison showed that all the bacterial and fungal isolates associated with the spoilage are present in the pawpaw except Shigella spp and Aspergillus niger which were absent in the banana. It also showed that the bacteria isolate were most predominant compared to the fungal isolates. The presence of these bacteria and fungi present a health risk factor to people who consume fruits without washing. Consumers should avoid consumption of spoilt fruits to avoid health implications that may lead to death.