Onwuakor Chijioke .E^1,, Ukaegbu-Obi K.M¹

The synergistic bio-preservative effects of leaves and stem bark of Vernonia amygdalina and Sacoglottis gabonensis respectively on two (2) palm wine types namely, Elaeis guineensis and Raphia hookeri from Uturu-Nigeria was evaluated. The microbiological and biochemical changes of the palm wine brands were determined. R. hookeri brands were found to support more heterotrophic and coliform populations than the E. guineensis, while the later contained more yeast species. Identification of isolated species revealed the presence of Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Lactobacillus sp., Brevibacterium sp. and Saccharomyces sp. from E. guineensis and R. hookeri. Moreso, heterotrophic counts and pH were observed to decrease as the fermentation time progressed. The combination of both V. amygdalina and S. gabonensis as preservatives lowered the bacterial and fungal load compared to the control and individual plant preservatives and reduced the rate of CO₂ emission as well as keeping the pH fairly constant.

synergistic, bio-preservative, Vernonia amygdalina, Sacoglottis gabonensis, palm wine, Uturu