Isolation and Identification of Fungal Species Associated with Fruits Spoilage in Bwari Market Abuja, Nigeria

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. Seventy fruits that showed decayed symptomatology and thirty healthy ones were procured from Bwari market. Sections of the rotten and healthy fruits were obtained using a sterile blade, inoculated onto Potato Dextrose Agar and incubated at 27°C for five days. All other mycological techniques were carried out using standard methods. 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 fungal flora. 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. Thus, because all the fungal species identified were known to produce toxins that could impart severe food poisoning, attention of the authorities concerned and the health care providers is needed towards orienting the vendors on the hygienic methods of storing fruits to prolong their shelf-life and the general populace on the dangers associated with the consumption of fruits from Bwari market without thorough washing with saline water more especially those fruits that showed spoilage symptomatology.