Effect of Processing and Packaging Materials on the Storability and Microorganisms Associated with Garcinia kola (Bitter kola)

The study on the effect of processing and packaging materials on the storability of Garcinia kola, Heckel, harvested from a local farm at Ngokpola was carried out in the green house of Federal University of Technology Owerri. It was laid out in a two factor factorial using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 12 treatments and was replicated 5 times. The pods was processed by three different processing methods, which are , cut fresh pods immediately it was harvested, kept the pods outside on a shade and allowed to decay for one week and soaked the pods in water and allowed to ferment for 1 week. It was observed that the pods kept outside on the ground and those soaked in water was significantly different at 5% level of probability. The seeds extracted from the different processing methods was stored and packaged in polythene bag, dry plantain leaves and cocoyam leaves then control. It was found that polythene bag retained moisture than others. Alkaloid has high phyto-chemical content in the seeds that was processed by keeping the pods outside on a ground and allowed to decay and packaged in cocoyam leaves, which might be as a result of the processing method and packaging materials used. The seeds contain Saponin, Cyanide, Tannin and Ash which makes it to be an anti-oxidant and anti-nutrient. The pathogens isolated from the seeds are Aspergillus sp, Penicillum sp and Diplodia sp, affect stored seeds. The respondents from the 60 questionnaires administered to people in 3 different zones in Imo state, showed that 60% of the pods are harvested when fallen pods are picked, 30% harvest when someone climbed the tree and pluck it with hand, 10% when the fruits are plucked with sticks while the harvester is on the ground. 80% processed the fruits by keeping it outside on the ground and allowed to decay and 20% cut the fresh pods immediately it was harvested. Based on the findings, I recommend that farmers and marketers should engage in good processing method and packaging materials such as the ones used in this work for preservation.