Abstract: Both develop and developing countries including the Philippines, encountered challenges related to waste generation during the processing of saba bananas. Simultaneously, tomatoes exhibited a very short shelf life and high spoilage rates due to their elevated moisture content. The study specifically investigated the potential of Solanum lycopersium juice and musa acuminata x balbisina extract as alternative culture media for fungal growth, focusing on aspergillus niger and penicillium chrysogenum. Filtrates from tomato and banana peels were prepared at varying concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) and compared to a standard Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) control. The filtrates were analyzed for key micronutrient content, including carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Fungal growth was assessed by measuring colony diameter after three days of incubation. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant difference on aspergillus niger and penicillin chrysogenum growth across the tested media concentrations namely the Tomato medium, banana peel medium, and mixed medium compared to the control medium. Data shows a p-values of < 0.05 indicating that the significant differences between formulated media and the control highlight the nutritional advantages of the filtrates over SDA. For aspergillus niger, all concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) resulted in significantly larger growth compared to control, with p-values below 0.05. Penicillin chrysogenum exhibited a significant difference only at 100% concentration, where the p-value was below 0.05. These findings indicate that the distinct growth patterns of Aspergillus niger and penicillin chrysogenum across various media. Aspergillus niger exhibited a broad substrate tolerance, with significant growth increases across all concentrations and media tested. In contrast, penicillin chrysogenum displayed a more selective utilization, thriving optimally at 100% concentration in both mixed and tomato media. It is recommended that other parts of the plants are to be used. Alternative extractive methods of the plant and range of concentrations are also to be experimented.

College of Health Sciences Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology