AFLATOXIGENIC FUNGI IN NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS IN MOSUL AND DUHOK CITY

Introduction: The present study aims to determine the contamination of eighteen samples from different nuts and dried fruits from the markets of Mosul and Duhok city. Materials and Methods: This study included samples of local and imported nuts and dried fruits. Results: The study showed different genera of contaminant fungi such as Alternaria, Penicillium, and Aspergillus species which are very common fungi associated with samples. The most fungal contamination was found in pistachio and black raisins, followed by balahsisi, taffy raisins, yellow raisins, dried apricot and peanut with shell. A total of nine species of Aspergillus were isolated on (potato dextrose agar, malt extract agar and dichloran rose bengal agar) media A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. tamarii, A. aculeatus, A. parasiticus, A. oryzae, A. japonicus, A. ochraceus were detected from all types of nuts and dried fruits samples. The most frequent species were A. niger followed by A. flavus and A. fumigates with percentage frequencies of 45.2%, 20.3% and 13.9% respectively. The ability of toxicogenic fungi to produce AflatoxinB1 by ELISA test of Sunlong corporation in nuts and dried fruits samples ranged from 94.8 to 136.4 μg/kg, with the highest levels of ability to produce AflatoxinB1 in nuts samples (peanut with shell, sunflower seeds and walnut) at levels 135.8, 129.0, and 128.9 μg/kg respectively, while in dried fruits samples the highest ability to produce AflatoxinB1in dried apricot, taffy raisins and yellow raisins was at levels136.4,123.1 and 118.0 μg/kg, respectively. Conclusion: we conducted the fungal contamination and quantitative content of aflatoxin B1 in nuts and dried fruits notably those sold openly in food shops.