MIC 500: FOOD MICROBIOLOGY

LABORATORY REPORT

EXPERIMENT 1: Mould – Microscopic Identification and Identification of

Mould From Food

NAME : ERNIE NAJWA NAJIHAH BINTI FAIDI

MATRIC NUMBER : 2017283562

GROUP : AS2463C

GROUP MEMBERS :

1. NOOR ALIAH BINTI BAHARI (2017405672)

2. NURUL FATINI BINTI MOHAMAD HALIMIN
(2017405588)
3. NUR NABILAH BINTI JOHARI (2017405596)

LECTURER’S NAME : DR. KHALILAH BINTI ABDUL KHALIL

DATE OF EXPERIMENT : 29TH MARCH 2018

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 5TH APRIL 2018

INTRODUCTION

Moulds have both positive and negative effects on the food industry the same way that
yeasts do. Some moulds are perfectly safe to eat and in some cases, even desirable for instance
the cheese made with mould such as blue, Brie, Camembert, and Gorgonzola. Other moulds
can be quite toxic and may produce allergic reactions and respiratory problems or produce
poisonous substances called mycotoxins. Aspergillus mould, which is most often found on
meat and poultry as well as environmentally, can cause an infection called aspergillosis, which
is actually a group of illnesses ranging from mild to severe lung infections, or even whole-body
infections. One of the greatest concerns regarding mould in food is the mycotoxins that some
varieties produce. One of the most researched mycotoxins is aflatoxin, a cancer-causing poison.
Moulds are categorised as fungi that develop in the form of multi – cellular filaments,
namely hyphae. They reproduce via the production of large quantities of small spores. Mould
spores can be formed either by asexual or sexual methods. Moulds are responsible for
biodegradation in foods by breaking down the complex organic matter into simpler substances
which can result in food spoilage. The undesirable decay of the foods progressively develops
after the ripening stage or when the food is physically damaged. The growth of moulds is
detected when distinctive blue or green "fur" or orange spots develop on the affected foods.

OBJECTIVES

1. To allow the students to make pure culture studies of some of the common moulds
found in foods.
2. To make isolates from naturally contaminated foods.
3. To become familiar with staining and observing mould morphology.

MATERIALS AND APPARATUS

1. Pure cultures (on potato dextrose agar plates) of the following genera of moulds are
provided:
a) Rhizopus spp.
b) Mucor spp.
c) Penicillium spp.
d) Aspergillus spp.
 e) Fusarium spp.
2. Methylene blue staining
3. Cellophane tape
4. Microscope
5. 10% glycerol
6. Food sample
7. PDA plates

METHODS

1. Macroscopic examination
With the low power of the compound microscope the culture provided were examined
macroscopically for the edges, upper and lower surface of the colony, mycelia growth
of the moulds and the colour. The observation was then recorded in Table 1.1
2. Microscopic examination
A strip of cellophane tape measuring about 3cm was cut and gently touched the sticky
surface against the mould growth. The strip was transferred to a drop of methylene blue
stain on a glass slide. The mould was examined microscopically for the detailed
structures of:
a) The types and arrangement of the spores
b) Hyphae and septation
c) Colour of the mycelium
d) Any special structures

The observation was then recorded in Table 1.1

3. Some isolates was made by streaking a small sample of foods on the PDA plates. The
culture was incubated at 27ºC for 24 – 48 hours. The macroscopic and microscopic of
the mould structure was examined and described in Table 1.2.
DISCUSSION

Moulds are those dusty little spots often found spreading over bread, cheese, books,
and other things in the home, cause the loss of millions of dollars to our economy every year
and, even worse, may be a menace to our health. Moulds are microscopic, plant – like
organisms, composed of long filaments called hyphae. Mould hyphae grow over the surface
and inside nearly all substances of plant or animal origin. Because of their filamentous
construction and consistent lack of chlorophyll they are considered by most biologists to be
separate from the plant kingdom and members of the kingdom of fungi. They are related to the
familiar mushrooms and toadstools differing only in not having their filaments united into large
fruiting structures.

Rhizopus feeds on starch or sugar, making it a common mould on bread. This type of
mould may start off as white hair – like structures and eventually will form solid black spots.
Under the microscope, Rhizopus appears as short strands with oval – shaped heads, looking
like a balloon on a string. The head is where the spores of this type of mould are contained.
Aspergillus is another mould commonly found on food items, especially grains. It is a typically
a bluish green colour, with a thin ring of white around each colony. Some species of
Aspergillus are black in colour. It has a thin branch – like structure, with heads that look like
blooming flowers, and release spherical spores. Penicillium, which is where the powerful
antibiotic Penicillin comes from, can be blue – green or gray, often with a fuzzy white edge.
This type of mould is common, and often looks like Aspergillus with the naked eye, with
several strand segments branching out from the main strand. At the end of each segment of the
head we should be able to see small spores.

If the colonies found on the plate were spreading, dichloran (2ug / ml) and / or rose
Bengal (25ug / ml) can be used to prevent excessive mycelia formation and growth. Dichloran
prevents the fast spreading of mucoraceous fungi and restricts size of the colonies of other
while Rose Bengal inhibits growth of bacteria and limits the size and height of faster – growing
ones moulds. Yeasts and moulds can be recovered from foods with reduced water actives (aw
<= 0.85) by using media that contains 18% glycerol (final aw = 0.995). This is done so that
microorganisms that are highly sensitive to environments with high water activities can be
recovered with a higher probability of success.

Sporangia are modified hyphae or cells containing numerous spores (sporangiospores).

They never have more than a single connecting hypha and the spores do not constantly occur
in groups of four or eight as do ascospores. Conidia are the most difficult group to characterize
because of their great diversity of form. The only feature that most conidia have in common is
that they occur externally on the cells that produce them.

CONCLUSION

This experiment is conducted to allow the students to make pure culture studies of some
of the common moulds found in foods as well as to make isolates from naturally contaminated
foods. This study is also focus to familiarized student with the staining process and observing
mould morphology. The objectives of this experiment is successfully achieved.

REFERENCES

1. https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/microscope-mold-project/
2. https://www.microscopemaster.com/mold-under-the-microscope.html