Omonigho, S.E.

Maize (Zea mays) is an annual monoecious crop and the most important cereal in the world after wheat and rice with regard to cultivation areas and total production. Despite the various improvements in the drying and storage of maize, the growth of moulds is usually a common occurrence in stored grains. The grain is vulnerable to biodeterioration by mycotoxigenic fungi which include Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium.

One of the bacterial pathogens implicated worldwide in intestinal illnesses is diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC). This study was conducted to determine the antagonistic effects of Lactobacillus species isolated from soursop (Annona muricata) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) fruits against DEC isolates using agar well diffusion protocol. Lactobacillus species were isolated from a collection of pineapple and soursop fruits obtained from open markets in Benin City, Nigeria using culture-based methods. The antimicrobial-metabolites producing ability of Lactobacillus spp.