Producing and processing fruits are impacted by the global issue of fruit safety. Bacteria that might cause serious health issues can infect dried fruits. A total of 180 dried fruit samples including (raisins, dates, and apricots) were purchased from markets in Jeddah Governorate, Saudi Arabia. Morphological bacterial isolation of dried fruits was carried out by adding 5 g of each dried fruit sample to 5 ml of diluent (distilled water). A 0.1 ml volume of each dilution was used to make a series of pour plates. The plates were incubated at 30°C for 48 hr. In addition, the molecular identification analysis of bacterial isolates was confirmed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed the isolation of 31 different species belonging to 3 genera of bacteria which are Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus. The most dominant genus is Bacillus sp. (739 CFU) isolated from dried fruits. In conclusion, good manufacturing practices (GMPs) must be applied to maintain healthy dried fruits and reduce dried fruit contamination during and after harvest.
