Isolation and Characterization of Post-Harvest Fungal Species and Pathogenicity Assessment of Spoilt Fruits Sold in Saudi Arabia Market

This study investigated the fungi associated with the spoilage of Mangoes and Tomatoes fruit, obtained from markets in Saudi Arabia. A total of 200 mixed samples, Mangoes and Tomatoes fruits were collected. The microorganisms were isolated, characterized and identified using standard methods. The fungi isolated and identified from the spoiled Mangoes were, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria spp. , Rhizopus spp. , Penicillium spp. , Botryodiplodia and Phomopsis spp. On the other hand, the fungi isolated from Tomatoes were, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Cladosporium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Geotrichum candidum, and Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus were the most prevalent fungi isolate from the samples and found in all samples collected from Mangoes and Tomatoes fruits and caused severe post-harvest losses. The study showed that the presence of these fungi associated with Mangoes and Tomatoes spoilage caused highly risk to humans and animals due to their production from spores and toxins that lead to food poisoning.