Isolation and Characterization of Yeast Isolated from Grape and Soil Under Mango Tree

ABSTRACT

Fungi play a critical role in biotechnology, contributing to diverse applications such as enzyme production, bioremediation and pharmaceutical development. This study aimed to isolate and characterize fungi from grape and soil samples from mango tree base. Morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses were employed to identify the fungal isolates. The pour plate method was used for the enumeration and isolation of fungal colonies. Total counts (Colony-forming unit (CFU)) counts revealed higher fungal populations in soil samples compared to grape samples. Soil sample recorded the highest colony count of 1.26 at 10⁻5, while soil 2 sample had a colony count of 79 at 10⁻⁴ dilution. Grape samples exhibited lower fungal counts, with mean colony counts ranging from 16 to 20 CFU. Biochemical characterization revealed variability in sugar metabolism. The suspected organisms are Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rhodotorula mucinaginosa demonstrated positive reactions to glucose, fructose, sucrose and galactose, while grape isolate was negative for sucrose and galactose but positive for fructose and glucose. Molecular characterization through BLAST analysis identified Fusarium equiseti (99.82% identity) in grape and soil samples and Myrothecium inundatum (98.74% identity) in soil samples. The result of this study indicates the fungal diversity in soil and grape substrates.