ABSTRACT
Cola is a genus of trees; native to the tropical rainforest of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, sub-family Sterculioldeae (or treated in a separate family sterculiaceae) comprises about 125 species,withC.acuminata(pal.de.Beauv.) Schott and Endl and C.nitida (vent) Schott and Endl, with the latter two having the greatest economic importance. The effect of a lining material (Triclisiadictyophylla leaf) on the storage/preservation of Cola nitida. Was determined.Pods of C. nitida were obtained from a kola plantation in Udo town, Ovia South-West Local Government of Edo State, Nigeria, and were process according to the method adopted by the local farmers, andthe nuts from the pods were subjected to both microbial and proximate analysis. The microbial analysis was done using the Pour plate and single colony counting method, and the proximate analysis was conducted for, moisture content, crude fat content, protein, carbohydrate, fibre and ash content, using the official methods of analysis (AOAC), and the micro-kjeldahl method as described by AOAC. There was reduction in nuts weight as the duration of storage /preservation increases, as well as a reduction in the microbial count at the initial period of storage/preservation. There was subsequent increase in the microbial count and species diversity in both nuts and lining material as the duration of storage/preservation increases with, Aspergillus spbeing prevalent. A significant decreasein the proximate/nutritional content of the nuts after three months of storage/preservation, was recorded,except for protein, fibre and ash which recorded an increase from 8.60 to 12.1%, 4.4 to 14.9% and 1.5 to 12.8% respectively. Due to the fact that kolanuts consumption is majorly done by elderly persons and the above effects of preservation was observed therefore, preservation of kola nuts before consumption is very beneficial and therefore necessary.
