Abstract

The presence of fungal contaminants in Ofada and Abakaliki rice varieties under storage in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria were examined. The fungal species isolated from the Ofada rice were Actinomycetes spp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tamarii, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Fusarium compacticum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Penicillium oxalicum, Rhizopus nigricans, Rhizopus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Abakaliki rice was contaminated with A. flavus, A. niger, A. tamarii, F. compacticum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, Penicillium citrinu, P. oxalicum, R. nigricans, R. oryzae and S. cerevisiae. A. niger (80%) was the predominant fungal species while Actinomycetesspp. (6.7%) was the least isolated. Some of these fungi are known to produce mycotoxins which have several health and economic implications. The presence of such species as seen in this study may show a potential risk of mycotoxin contamination in Ofada and Abakaliki rice varieties.

Key words: Fungi, contaminants, Ofada, Abakaliki, rice, mycotoxin, mycoflora.