title: Buckwheat achenes antioxidant profile modulates Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production.
abstract: Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.) is a "pseudo-cereal" of great interest in the production of healthy foods since its flour, derived from achenes, is enriched with bioactive compounds and, due to the absence of gluten, may be used in composition of celiac diets. Amongst buckwheat species, F. tataricum achenes possess a larger amount of the antioxidant flavenol rutin than the common buckwheat F. esculentum. Ongoing climate change may favor plant susceptibility to the attack by pathogenic, often mycotoxigenic, fungi with consequent increase of mycotoxins in previously unexploited feeds and foodstuffs. In particular, Aspergillus flavus, under suitable environmental conditions such as those currently occurring in Italy, may produce aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the most carcinogenic compound of fungal origin which is classified by IARC as Category 1. In this study, the viable achenes of two buckwheat species, F. tataricum (var. Golden) and F. esculentum (var. Aelita) were inoculated with an AFB1-producing A. flavus NRRL 3357 to analyze their relative performances against fungal invasion and toxin contamination. Notably, we sought the existence of a correlation between the amount of tocols/flavonols in the achenes of buckwheat, infected and non-infected with A. flavus, and to analyze the ability of the pathogen to grow and produce toxin during achene infection. Results suggest that achenes of F. tataricum, the best producer of antioxidant compounds in this study, are less susceptible to A. flavus infection and consequently, but not proportionally, to mycotoxin contamination compared with F. esculentum. Moreover, rutin-derived quercetin appears to be more efficient in inhibiting aflatoxin biosynthesis than the parent compound.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina clinica, Sanità Pubblica, Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi dell'Aquila, Piazzale Salvatore Tommasi 1, Blocco 11, Coppito, 67010 L'Aquila, Italy. Electronic address: giulia.chitarrini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chitarrini
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Innovazione Agroindustriale, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo Sostenibile ed Innovazione del Sistema Agro-industriale, ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: chiara.nobili@enea.it.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nobili
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro di Ricerca per lo Studio delle Relazioni tra Pianta e Suolo, Roma, Italy. Electronic address: flavia.pinzari@entecra.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pinzari
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Innovazione Agroindustriale, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo Sostenibile ed Innovazione del Sistema Agro-industriale, ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antonini
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Innovazione Agroindustriale, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo Sostenibile ed Innovazione del Sistema Agro-industriale, ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Rossi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Innovazione Agroindustriale, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo Sostenibile ed Innovazione del Sistema Agro-industriale, ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Fiore
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Innovazione Agroindustriale, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo Sostenibile ed Innovazione del Sistema Agro-industriale, ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Procacci
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Innovazione Agroindustriale, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo Sostenibile ed Innovazione del Sistema Agro-industriale, ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tolaini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi "Sapienza", Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24, 00165 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scala
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi "Sapienza", Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24, 00165 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarpari
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi "Sapienza", Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24, 00165 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: massimo.reverberi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reverberi
mesh_terms: D016604:Aflatoxin B1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001231:Aspergillus flavus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D019612:Fagopyrum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D007558:Italy; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D011794:Quercetin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D012431:Rutin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D024504:gamma-Tocopherol / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012431:Rutin; D024504:gamma-Tocopherol; D011794:Quercetin; D016604:Aflatoxin B1
keywords: Antioxidant profile; Aspergillus flavus; Fagopyrum esculentum; Fagopyrum tataricum; Rutin