Isolation and Identification of Fungal Contaminants from Dried Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) Fruits Sold in Samaru, Zaria

Abstract:

Fungal contaminants of dried date fruits were isolated from three (3) locations in Samaru, Zaria. A total of 30 samples were collected from the sample collection sites namely Samaru Market, front of Suleiman Hall, and opposite North Gate, ten (10) samples from each. Samples were cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) after which they were sub-cultured onto Malt Extract Agar (MEA) to obtain pure isolates. A total of 60 isolates were isolated from the 30 total samples obtained, with 20 isolates gotten from each sample collection sites. Basic slide culture technique was used for the identification and characterization of the isolates based on the presence of distinct features. The fungal contaminants identified were Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus niger, and penicillium spp.