Adarsh Kumar’s scientific contributions

A preliminary study was done to isolate fungal contaminants, particularly those responsible for spoilage of tomatoes, onions, cabbage and other vegetables sold at the local vegetable market of Hazaribag. The spoilt samples of tomato, onion, cabbage,, some other vegetables and some fruits were cut into pieces each with a sterile razor blade. The samples were then cultured on PDA and incubated at room temperature for 5 days after which the fungal growths were observed. The isolates were purified on Sabouroud's Dextrose Agar plates. A total of thirty five fungal isolates were obtained from the three samples. The fungi isolated and most commonly observed were A. niger, R. stolonifer, A. flavus, Mucor Spp, Penicillium Spp., A. flavus and some other common fungi were found to be associated with contamination of the above-mentioned vegetables and fruits. Based on these findings, it was observed that perishable food such as onion, tomato, and other vegetables and some fruits are susceptible to spoilage by fungi probably because the spores of these organisms are easily transmitted via the air which could lead to spoilage of these vegetables. This study, therefore, suggests that there is a need to wash as well as properly store these vegetables at the appropriate temperatures so as to minimize the level of contamination.