Molecular diagnosis of some species of local cheese contamination with fungi in Tikrit City

In the current study, 60 samples of different cheeses were examined to determine the extent of fungal contamination. The results showed the presence of mold in 24 samples (40%) and yeast in 16 samples (26.6%). The results of the local white cheese showed that this type of cheese had the highest percentage of mold contamination, reaching 33.3%, and the presence of yeast in it was 2.3%. Aspergillus fumigatus recorded the highest percentage of contamination, representing 62.5% of the total mold contamination in the cheese in the current study. Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger were the most contaminating mold species in the studied cheese, representing 25% of the total mold. Aspergillus flavus and Mucor circinelloides accounted for 12.5%. The study showed the presence of Pencillium roqueforti and Rhizopus stolonifer in approximately 8.33% of the examined samples. Acremonium falciforme and Pencilium commune were less common, with an average prevalence of 4.16% across all cheeses. The most prevalent yeast in cheese was Debaryomyces hansenii, accounting for 43.75% of the cheeses studied, followed by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, at approximately 25%, and Candida lipolytica, at 18.75%. Candida albicans was less common, accounting for 12.5% ​​of all samples. This study confirmed the identity of the two fungal species using BLAST analysis, achieving 100% accuracy for Aspergillus fumigatus and 99% accuracy for Mucor circinelloides, with one gene mutation observed. These results confirm the importance of genome sequencing in fungal classification and evolutionary relationships.