Fungal Contaminants of Selected Commonly Used Spices in Tanzania

Fifty samples of sixteen spices commonly used in Tanzania were collected randomly from different local markets around Dar es Salaam and fungal contaminants determined using standard microbiological procedures. Forty nine filamentous fungi from 7 genera namely; Aspergillus, Fusarium, Rhizomucor, Rhizopus, Lichtheimia, Cladosporium and Penicillium were encountered. Further characterization of some fungi using nucleotide sequencing of the 5.8S-ITS rRNA gene was done and their phylogeny inferred using Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Averages (UPGMA). The fungi isolates were identified as Lichtheimia ramosa, L. corymbifera, Rhizomucor pusillus, R. tauricus, A. aculeatinus, A. parasiticus, A. flavus, A. tubingensis, A. fumigatus, A. niger and A. nomius. Red chill had high level of fungal contamination (18.37%) followed by ginger (14.28%) while curry powder and coriander seeds were less contaminated (2.08%). These results give baseline information on fungal contamination in spices. Proper spices management that will minimize risks of fungal contamination and their metabolites at all stages from planting, harvesting, processing, packaging, transportation, handling and storage is recommended to avoid health risks to consumers.