ANALYSIS OF SPOILED FRUIT SAMPLES FOR THE PREVALENCE OF BACTERIA

ANALYSIS OF SPOILED FRUIT SAMPLES FOR THE  PREVALENCE OF BACTERIA

Mudasir Salam Shah , Mrs.Balwinder Kaur
School Of Health Sciences

Desh Bhagat University Mandi Gobindgar . 147301 Punjab [India]

INTRODUCTION
Microorganisms are found everywhere , since   the conditions which bring about their growth are readily available   like humans, they prefer a warm ,moist environment ,a supply of oxygen and food and because their nutritional requirements are similar to ours , they readily contaminate our food supplies .when food spoilage is caused by growth of micro organisms ,it becomes soft and smells and tastes bad (Filtenborg et al .,1996 ).

It has been known that fruits constitute commercially and nutritionally important indispensable food commodity. Fruits are consumed in large quantity in the world .Fruits are a source of nourishing substance that keep us alive and healthy .Fruits play a vital role in human nutrition by supplying necessary growth factors such as vitamins and essential minerals in daily diet which helps to live a healthy life (Al-Hindi et al .,2011) .India is the fourth largest producer of fruits in the world ,yet due to losses in the field ,during handling processes of the crop from the grower to the wholesale dealer and to retailer and finally to consumers (chukwuka et al ,2010 and zubair,2009) ,they become inadequate (Barth et al.2013) .Most microorganisms that are initially observed on whole fruit or vegetable surfaces are soil inhabitants (Andrews and Harris ,2000;Janisiewicz ,and Korsten ,2002). Spoilage refers to any change in the condition of food in which the food becomes undesirable or un acceptable for human consumption (Akinmusire, 2011). The high concentration of various sugars ,minerals , amino acids , provides a good platform for successful growth and survival of various microorganisms ( Bhale,2011) .

One of the limiting factors that influence the fruits economic value is the relatively short shelf life period caused by pathogens attacked .One of the limiting factors that influence the fruits economic value is the short shelf –life period caused by pathogens attacked. It is estimated that about 20-25% of the harvested fruits are decayed by pathogens during post – harvest handling even in developed countries (Droby, 2006; Zhu, 2006). Bacterial spoilage first causes softening of tissues as pectin’s are degraded and the whole fruit may eventually degenerate into a slimy mass. Starch and sugars are metabolized next and unpleasant odours and flavours develop along with lactic acid and ethanol (Rawat, 2015). Spoilage of fresh fruits usually occurs during growth , harvest ,storage , transport ,and handling which is done both by

bacteria and fungi .Spoilage is manifested by a variety of sensory cues such as off-colours , off - odours ,softening of fruits .

The spoilage of most fruits is always associated with bacteria and fungi .The adverse effect of bacteria in fruits has resulted in shortage of fruits for consumption .In spoilage organisms ,

chemical reactions that cause offensive sensory changes in foods are mediated by variety of microbes that use food as carbon and energy source . Spoilage microbes are common inhabitant of soil , water ,or intestinal tract of animals and are dispersed through air and water and by the activities of small animals ,particularly insects .e.g. Penicillium spp cause visible rot on citrus ,Pear ,and Apple fruits . Healthy fruits have many microbes on their surface but can usually inhibit their growth until after harvest . Ripening weakens cell walls and decreases the amount of antifungal chemicals in fruits, and physical damage during harvesting causes breaks in outer protective layers of fruits that spoilage organisms can exploit. Some bacteria, including staphylococcus spp and Bacillus spp cause spoilage of fruits

.Some spoilage microorganisms are capable of colonizing and creating lesions on healthy, undamaged plant tissues (Tournas and Katsoudas, 2005). In order to know the microorganisms present on spoiled fruits, the isolation of pathogens is done on standard media .The susceptibility of these organisms is studied to become acquainted whether the spoilage bacteria are resistant or sensitive to antibiotics.

The study is an attempt for isolation and characterisation of spoilage bacteria associated with different fruit samples .The objectives of the present work are »

•                   Collection of different rotting fruit samples.

•                   Isolation of bacteria .

•                   Identification of isolated bacteria

•                   Antibiotioc sensitivity test of isolated bacteria.