South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products

Fermented African oil bean (Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth.) slices, commonly known as ugba, may undergo microbiological changes during storage. This study assessed bacterial and fungal loads and presumptive microbial isolates in undried and dried slices, including dried products stored in cans, plastic containers, glass containers and polyethylene packaging for 7, 14 and 21 days. Microbial counts were determined by culture-based enumeration. Bacterial isolates were characterised using cultural, microscopic and biochemical tests, while fungal isolates were assessed using colonial and microscopic characteristics. Among stored treatments, bacterial counts ranged from 1.4 × 10² cfu/g in canned samples on day 7 to 2.2 × 10⁷ cfu/g in polyethylene-packaged samples on day 21. Corresponding fungal counts ranged from 2.3 × 10³ to 7.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g. The undried sample had a reported bacterial count of 4.4 × 10⁸ cfu/g, compared with 2.2 × 10² cfu/g in the dried, unstored sample; no fungal growth was reported in the latter. Bacterial isolates included Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Serratia, Escherichia coli and other taxa, whereas fungal isolates included Rhizopus, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Saccharomyces. Microbial recovery varied across storage treatments and sampling times, with the highest reported counts among stored samples occurring in polyethylene packaging after 21 days. The findings indicate a need for hygienic processing and careful storage management, although the reported observations do not establish causal packaging effects or confirmed health risks.