Occurrence and fumonisin B2producing potential of Aspergillus section Nigri in Brazil nuts.
Bertholletia excelsa is the tree that produces Brazil nuts which have vast economic importance in the Amazon region and as an export commodity. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of Aspergillus section Nigri in Brazil nut samples at different stages of its production chain and to verify the toxigenic potential for fumonisin B2(FB2) production of these isolates along with the presence of this mycotoxin in Brazil nut samples. The fungal infection ranged from 0 to 80% at the different stages of the harvest and processing chain and the water activity of the nuts from 0.273 to 0.994. A total of 1052 A. section Nigri strains were isolated from Brazil nuts and 200 strains were tested for their ability to produce FB2: 41 strains (20.5%) were FB2producers with concentrations ranging from 0.09 to 37.25 mg/kg; 2 strains (1%) showed traces of FB2, less than the detection limit (0.08 mg/kg); and 157 (78.5%) were not FB2producers. Although several samples showed high contamination by A. section Nigri, no sample was contaminated by FB2.
Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos - ITAL, C.P. 139, Campinas, SP, CEP 13070-178, Brazil. issaferranti@uol.com.br.
Larissa S
LS
Ferranti
Departamento de Ciências Biológicas-ICB, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Benedito
B
Correa
Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina, PR, 6051-970, Brazil.
Maria Helena P
MH
Fungaro
Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos - ITAL, C.P. 139, Campinas, SP, CEP 13070-178, Brazil.
Beatriz T
BT
Iamanaka
Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina, PR, 6051-970, Brazil.
Fernanda P
FP
Massi
Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Christopher B W
CB
Phippen
Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Jens C
JC
Frisvad
Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos - ITAL, C.P. 139, Campinas, SP, CEP 13070-178, Brazil.
Marta H
MH
Taniwaki
D001230:Aspergillus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D031383:Bertholletia / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000032:analysis*; D037341:Fumonisins / Q000032:analysis*
D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D037341:Fumonisins; C056934:fumonisin B2
Bertholletia excelsa; Black Aspergilli; Fumonisins