Comparative Evaluation of Growth Media for the Cultivation of Fungal Cultures

Abstract

An evaluation was carried out on some growth media for the cultivation of fungal cultures. Fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus glaucus, Fusarium oxysporium, and Rhizopus stolonifer were isolated from food materials using Standard Blotter Method. Pure cultures were obtained and transferred into Potato Dextrose, Soybean Dextrose, Sawdust Sucrose, Ofor (Detarium macrocarpum) Sucrose and Groundnut Dextrose Broths respectively, to screen their suitability for culturing fungi. After incubation at 27 ± 1°C for 7 days, the organisms were harvested, weighed with a weighing balance to measure their growth rate. The mean values for all the organisms in Soybean broth except Fusarium oxysporium, were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than those of Groundnut Dextrose, Ofor (Detarium macrocarpum) Sucrose Broth, Sawdust Sucrose Broth and Potato Dextrose Broth. Soybean Dextrose Broth, performed better than other broths probably because it contains more vitamins and minerals vital to fungal growth.