Distribution of Mycoflora and Assessment of Moisture Content Measurement Methods of Indian Bakery Food Products

Abstract

: Mycotoxins are toxic food pollutants that are created naturally by some fungus. By contaminating food, they have a harmful impact on human health. This study's major objective was to simulate food products from bakeries being contaminated. Separate bakery food samples were examined to see whether fungus and associated mycotoxins were present. One hundred fifty-nine (159) bakery food samples were collected randomly from different shops in rural sides and around Davangere city, during July to November 2022. Qualitatively, maximum number of molds were isolated and identified from bakery food samples. The most common species are Trichoderma harzianum , A. niger, Rhizopus , A. flavus , Penicillium sp , Curvularia sp , A. parasiticus , Penicillium chrysogenum , Aspergillus sp , Fusarium sp , Trichoderma sp , Alternaria sp and Mucor sp . The moisture content was found to be maximum in sweets made from dry fruits and milk followed by cakes, burfi, cookies, bread etc and minimum growth were observed in chips. Results regarding moisture content of bakery food products showed that, NS41-NS159 samples had high moisture content 60%, followed by NS1-NS11 (49.8%), NS12-NS20 (49.8%), NS21-NS35 (37.8%) and NS36-NS40 (13.6%) respectively. Results in moisture content determination in bakery food products reveals that high moisture content causes maximum growth of microorganisms on bakery food samples. Statical analysis showed that storage had a significant effect on moisture content of bakery food products.