Isolation and identification of fungi associated with the spoilage of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L) and banana (Musa sapientum L) in Sokoto Metropolis

Fruits play a vital role in human nutrition by supplying the necessary growth factors such as vitamins and essential minerals in human daily diet and that can help keep a good and normal health. They are widely distributed in nature and can play an important role in health through the prevention of heart disease and cancer. Fruits and vegetables are different from most foods that we buy because they are not cooked and they are usually eaten raw. One of the limiting factors that influence the fruit economic value is the relatively short shelf life period caused by pathogen attack. It is estimated that about 20‒25% of the harvested fruits are decayed by pathogens during post‒harvest handling even in developed countries.2