TY - JOUR AU - Barboráková, Zuzana AU - Jakabova, Silvia AU - Maskova, Zuzana AU - Mrvova, Monika AU - Uzsákova, Viktória AU - Makova, Jana AU - Tancinova, Dana PY - 2023/05/10 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - TOXIN PRODUCING MICROMYCETES OF THE GENUS PENICILLIUM AND ASPERGILLUS ON BERRIES, GRAPES, AND TOMATO FRUITS IN SLOVAK STORES JF - Journal of microbiology, biotechnology and food sciences JA - J microb biotech food sci VL - 13 IS - 1 SE - Microbiology DO - 10.55251/jmbfs.9927 UR - https://office2.jmbfs.org/index.php/JMBFS/article/view/9927 SP - e9927 AB - <p>In this study, contamination by microscopic fungi (focused on <em>Penicillium </em>and <em>Aspergillus</em> species) of 75 fruit samples (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes) and 29 tomato samples, which were obtained from Slovak stores was investigated. Totally 93.3% of fruit samples were contaminated with micromycetes (70.6% <em>Botrytis </em>spp., 52.0% <em>Cladosporium </em>spp., 42.7% <em>Penicillium </em>spp., 13.3% <em>Rhizopus </em>spp., 8.0% <em>Alternaria </em>spp., 6.7% <em>Mucor </em>spp., 5.3% <em>Aspergillus </em>spp., 4.0% <em>Fusarium </em>spp., and 1.3% <em>Epicoccum </em>spp.) and 6.7% of samples were contaminated with yeasts. The presence of 15 species of the genus <em>Penicillium </em>in fruits, namely <em>P. atramentosum</em>,<em> P. aurantiogriseum</em>, <em>P. brevicompactum</em>, <em>P. bialowiezense</em>, <em>P. citrinum</em>, <em>P. crustosum</em>, <em>P. digitatum</em>, <em>P. expansum</em>, <em>P. fellutanum</em>, <em>P. glabrum</em>, <em>P. hordei</em>, <em>P. italicum</em>, <em>P. kiamense</em>, <em>P. olsonii,</em> and <em>P. purpurescens </em>was found. With the highest frequency, <em>P. brevicompactum </em>(12.0%) and <em>P. expansum </em>(10.7%) were isolated from fruits. Four isolates of the genus <em>Aspergillus </em>were isolated from fruit samples (<em>A. </em>section <em>Clavati</em>, <em>A.</em> section <em>Flavi, </em>and two isolates of<em> A.</em> section <em>Nigri</em>). Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used for testing of mycotoxin production by selected fungal isolates. Overall, 93.3% of tested <em>Penicillium</em> isolates and one tested <em>Aspergillus </em>of section<em> Clavati </em>proved the ability to produce at least one of the tested mycotoxins. As for tomato samples, 93.1% were contaminated with microscopic filamentous fungi (79.3% <em>Penicillium </em>spp., 24.1% <em>Botrytis </em>spp. and <em>Alternaria </em>spp., 10.3% <em>Cladosporium </em>spp.<em>, Mucor </em>spp. and <em>Rhizopus </em>spp., 6.9% <em>Aspergillu</em>s spp. and 3.4% <em>Fusarium </em>spp.) and 6.9% samples were contaminated with yeasts. In 65.5% of tomato samples, the occurrence of 8 species of the genus <em>Penicillium</em> (<em>P. brevicompactum</em>, <em>P. crustosum</em>, <em>P. expansum</em>, <em>P. griseofulvum</em>, <em>P. italicum</em>, <em>P. olsonii</em>, <em>P. sublectaticum</em>, <em>P. thomii</em>), and two species of the genus <em>Aspergillus</em> (from section <em>Circumdati</em> and <em>Flavi</em>) was recorded<em>. P. olsonii</em> (58.6%) and <em>P. griseofulvum</em> (10.3%) were isolated with the highest frequency. All 7 tested <em>Penicillium</em> isolates (100.0%) and 1 isolate of the genus <em>Aspergillus </em>(section <em>Flavi</em>), which were obtained from tomatoes, had the ability to produce at least one of the tested mycotoxins. <em>Aspergillus</em> section <em>Flavi</em> isolate (from tomatoes of Slovak origin) produced 5.5 µg.mL<sup>-1 </sup>of aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub>, 4.2 µg.mL<sup>-1 </sup>of aflatoxin B<sub>2</sub>, 154.4 µg.mL<sup>-1 </sup>of aflatoxin G<sub>1</sub>, and 5.6 µg.mL<sup>-1 </sup>of aflatoxin G<sub>2</sub> on 14<sup>th</sup> day of cultivation on liquid YES medium at 25±1 °C in darkness, and detected by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).</p> ER -