Abstract

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Fungi associated with seed coats and nibs of dried fermented F3 Amazon and CRIN Tc series cocoa beans varieties stored for 120 days at 29-34oC/RH 55-65% (low humidity condition) and 29-31oC/RH 85-95% (high humidity condition) were isolated and identified at 15-day intervals (till the end of storage) using standard methods. Percentage of occurrence of each of the isolated fungal species was also calculated. Yeasts (13.00-100.00%) and Rhizopus species (5.88-60.00%) were most consistently isolated throughout the storage period from both seed coats and nibs of the two cocoa varieties used in this study under high and low humidity storage conditions. Isolation of Fusarium spp. (4.45-37.50%) from the seed coats of F3 Amazon variety, began at the 15th day of storage, while that of Aspergillus spp. (7.69-19.28%) began on the 30th day on the seed coats of same variety under both storage conditions. Similar trend was noticed on the nibs of the same variety. The seed coats of Tc series cocoa beans also followed similar pattern. The conspicuous presence of yeasts, Fusarium spp., Rhizopus spp. and Aspergillus spp. on the seed coats and nibs of both F3 Amazon and Tc series cocoa beans varieties during both low and high humidity storage showed that the fungi were both internally and externally borne on the beans and could cause infections on the beans both during dry and wet seasons. Suitable measures therefore need to be taken at the critical storage periods for production of safer cocoa beans.

Keywords: Seed coat, nibs, storage, cocoa.