title: Survey of Penicillia associated with Italian grana cheese.
abstract: The present work aimed to contribute information on the mycobiota associated with ripening grana cheese, with focus on the genus Penicillium as potential mycotoxin producers. Eighteen wheels of grana cheese, aged in different storehouses situated in Northern Italy, were sampled to isolate associated fungi. Penicillium spp. were commonly dominant; morphological observation and gene sequencing were applied to identify Penicillium at species level. P. crustosum and P. solitum were the dominant species. Citrinin and ochratoxin A mycotoxins were analysed and the latter was found in all grana cheese samples. These results confirmed that a polyphasic approach is mandatory for Penicillium identification at species level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Decontardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mauro
authors.affiliation: CEB-Center of Biological Engineering, Micoteca da Universidade do Minho, 4704-553 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy. Electronic address: paola.battilani@unicatt.it.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Battilani
mesh_terms: D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology*; D002953:Citrinin / Q000032:analysis; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D007558:Italy; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000032:analysis; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000032:analysis; D010407:Penicillium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins; D009793:Ochratoxins; C025589:ochratoxin A; D002953:Citrinin
keywords: Cheese; Citrinin; Fungal identification; Ochratoxin A; Penicillium