ANTI-FUNGAL ACTIVITIES OF m-IODOBENZOIC ACID AND SOME OF ITS METAL DERIVATIVES ON BREAD MUCOR

The anti-fungal activities of alkali and alkaline earth metal iodobenzoates were studied. Calcium iodobenzoate exhibited the highest anti-fungal activities of 74.60% inhibition for 15 ppm while sodium iodobenzoate exhibited the least inhibition of 61.64%. An optimum concentration of all the metal complexes for inhibition was found to be 75 ppm. Although the use of these metals complexes as food preservatives may only be fungi-static and not fungi-toxic, their use in bread preparation might extend the shelf life of bread from 24 hours to 96 hours. KEY WORDS: Anti-fungal activities, Alkali metal iodobenzoates, Alkaline earth metal iodobenzoates, m-Iodobenzoic acid, Bread mucor Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2005, 19(2), 301-306