Isolation, Identification and characterization of Fungal Species Associated with the spoilage of some selected fruits

Abstract

Spoilage of fruits imparts great economic loss and a potential health hazard to the general populace. A research was conducted to identify the different types of fungal flora responsible for the spoilage of fruits in Bwari market, Abuja, Nigeria. A total number of seventy (70) different types of fruits that showed decayed symptomatology and thirty healthy ones were purchased from Bwari market, Abuja. The samples were surfaced sterilized with ethanol and the homogenates. Sections of the rotten and healthy fruits were cut of using a sterile blade and were inoculated ontopetridishes containing Potato Dextrose Agar, the plates were incubated at 27°C for five days.The pure cultures obtained were identified morphologically and microscopically using a standard mircrobial Atlas for verification. The result showed the presence of Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus nigricans, Mucor mucedo, and Fusarium oxysporum. However, Aspergillus niger. (58.06%) was found to be the most dominant spoilage causing organism on fruits vended in Bwari market while Fusarium oxysporum (9.68%) was the least abundant fungalflora. However, the pathogenicity of Rhizopus sp. was found to be higher than that of all the remaining fungal species. This can be attributed to the predisposal and nature of fruits handling and storage in the market. These findings are indicative that fungal species are associated with the spoilage of fruits.Based on the fact that, all the fungal species identified in this research were known to produce toxins that could impart severe food poisoning.