Microflora of Some Ghanaian Herbal Teas: Their Control and Some Aspects of the Physiology of the Mycoflora

Abstract

The micro flora of Ghanaian herbal tea comprising dried leaves of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) have been investigated under field and laboratory conditions. Hibiscus, Cinnamon and Lemon grass teas used for the experiments were supplied by Getrade Co. Ltd. Accra, already packaged for export shipment; packaged in thin (O.2mm) biodegradable polyethylene bags containing 40-60g of sample placed in earthenware clay pots (1.0cm high and IOcm wide) with a cover to fit. Fungal species isolated varied from one sample to another. Sixteen fungal species were isolated from Hibiscus, belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Eurotium, Monoascus, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Septodochium, Rhizopus and Syncephalastrum; thirteen fungal species belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Emericella, Monoascus, Penicillium, Streptomyces and Rhizopus were resident in Cinnamon tea, while nine fungal species belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Monoascus, Rhizopus and Syncephalastrum were enco~tered in Lemon grass tea. Aspergillus species (A. candidus, A. !umigatus, A. ochraceus, A. rubrum, A. terreus, A. wentii) predominated followed by Cladosporium (C herbarium, C cladosporioides, C macrocarpon). Some potential pathogenic bacteria, Flavobacterium meningosepticum, Pseudomonas cepacia, P. pseudomallei, Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Xanthomonas maltophilia were also encountered. Some of the aeromycoflora isolated from the farms from which the tea leaves were harvested (Aspergillus candidus, A. jimigatus, A. ochraceus, Cladosporium