Fungal Species Associated With Sachet Spices and Powdered Pepper Sold Within Uyo Metropolis

ABSTRACT This study investigated the presence of fungal contaminants in sachet spices (nutmeg, kitchen glory, fried rice spice and goat meat spice) and powdered pepper (red and black pepper) sold in markets around Uyo metropolis. Using standard microbiological procedures, analysis revealed that among the powdered pepper samples, red pepper from Anua market had the highest fungal load (1.5±0.6 × 10⁴ CFU/g), while red pepper from Akpanadem had the least fungal load (5.2±3.0 × 10³ CFU/g). On the other hand, nutmeg spice from Akpanadem market had the highest fungal load of 6.0 × 10³ CFU/g, followed by goat meat spice and kitchen glory from Akpanadem market with fungal load of 4.0 × 10³. No fungal growth was observed in kitchen glory and fried rice spice from Anua market. Six fungal species namely Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus Aspergillus nidulans, Penicillium sp, Candida sp , and Sclerotinia sp. Of these, A. niger, A. flavus, were the most encountered fungal species in the pepper sample with 100% occurrence while A. niger, A. flavus and Penicillium sp with an occurrence of 37.5%, were the most encountered fungal species in the sachet spices. Antimicrobial susceptibility test carried out revealed that there was a high resistance trend among the Aspergillus species especially to fluconazole and there was high sensitivity of all the fungal isolates to ketoconazole. The study highlights the potential health risks associated with consuming contaminated spices and pepper, and emphasizes the need for regular quality control measures and good storage practices to minimize fungal contamination.