Detection of Aspergillus Species in Dried Fruits Collected from Duhok Market and Study their Aflatoxiginic Properties

Samples from four types of dried fruits (apricot, fig , grapes and plum) were collected from local markets at Duhok governorate and surveyed for their contamination with Aspergillus species. A total of 20 species of Aspergillus were isolated on DRBC medium. A.awamori, A.carbonarius, A.flavus, A.fumigatus, A.japonicus, A.niger, A.ochraceus, A.parasiticus and A. tubingensis were detected from all types of dried fruits. The most frequent species was A.niger followed by A.flavus. Aflatoxigenic potentials of selected strains from Aspergillus section Flavi were detected by ELISA technique. Aflatoxin potential was detected in cultures from all isolates of A.flavus and A.parasiticus .Aflatoxin was found at levels from 10-344 ppb for A.flavus isolates and from 71-355 ppb for A.parasiticus.