Fungi Species Associated with Spoilage of Some Edible Fruits Sold in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Spoilage of orange, mango and banana fruits sold in Aliero Local Government Area, Kebbi State, Nigeria, was conducted using random sampling methods and fungi were identify using standard chart. The spoilt samples of Orange (Citrus sinensis), Mango (Mangifera indica) and Banana (Musa sapientum) were collected within Aliero L.G.A and cut into pieces with a sterile razor blade. A total of Seventy-five (75) spoilt fruits were obtained and Potatoes Dextrose Agar (PDA) was used as media. From the results obtained, five fungal contaminants were found to be associated with orange fruits where Aspergillus niger had the highest frequency of occurrence (33.33 %,) while Rhizofers stolonifer and Aspergillus flavus were recorded with lowest percentage (11.11%). With respect to mango, Aspergillus niger also had the highest frequency of occurrence (25 %,) while Penicilllium notatum had the lowest (8.33%). Four fungal isolates were found to be associated with contamination of banana fruits with Aspergillus fumigatus having highest percentage of occurrence (40%) while Mucor heimalts had the lowest (10%). Based on these findings, it was observed that perishable food such as orange, mango and banana are susceptible to spoilage by fungi probably because the spores of these organisms are easily transmitted via the air, during transportation, handling and preservations of this product which could lead to spoilage of these fruits.
Therefore, care should be taken during handling and transportation of these fruits and improved technology based preservation methods are suggested to increase the shelf life of the fruits.