Aspergillus and Related Teleomorphs

Pitt, John I.; Hocking, Ailsa D.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-85640-3_8

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 370 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Yet, surprisingly, A. ochraceus, the most commonly recovered fungus from inflorescences and leaves of greenhouse-grown cannabis in the present study, is not mentioned in previous reports of fungi of concern to human health present in cannabis tissues (Leppanen et al, 2019;Boyar, 2021;McKernan et al, 2021). This species, as well as A. niger, are widely distributed, and are present in dried foods, including dried fish, various dried beans and pulses, nuts and oilseeds (Pitt and Hocking, 1997;Pitt and Hocking, 2009a). The presence of both species in grapes and green coffee beans may lead to ochratoxin A production (Mantle and Chow, 2000;Perrone et al, 2007;Pitt and Hocking, 2009a;Pandit et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 44%

“…This species, as well as A. niger, are widely distributed, and are present in dried foods, including dried fish, various dried beans and pulses, nuts and oilseeds (Pitt and Hocking, 1997;Pitt and Hocking, 2009a). The presence of both species in grapes and green coffee beans may lead to ochratoxin A production (Mantle and Chow, 2000;Perrone et al, 2007;Pitt and Hocking, 2009a;Pandit et al, 2014). Neither species is currently included for specific testing in cannabis, nor are Fusarium spp., although these fungi are known to produce a range of mycotoxins and both are frequently present in cannabis inflorescences (Punja, 2021c;Gwinn et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Total yeast and mold levels in high THC-containing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescences are influenced by genotype, environment, and pre-and post-harvest handling practices

Punja,

Ni,

Lung

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Total yeast and mold (TYM) levels in inflorescences of high THC-containing Cannabis sativa (cannabis) are regulated to ensure that medicinal and recreational users, especially those with immunocompromised systems, are not exposed to potentially harmful levels. In North America, the limits imposed range from 1,000–10,000 cfu/g of dried product to 50,000–100,000 cfu/g, depending on the jurisdiction. Factors affecting a build-up of TYM in cannabis inflorescences have not been previously researched. In this study, >2,000 fresh and dried samples were assayed for TYM over a 3-year period (2019–2022) to identify specific factors which can contribute to TYM levels. Greenhouse-grown inflorescences were sampled before and after commercial harvest, homogenized for 30 s, and plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) with 140 mg/L streptomycin sulfate. Colony-forming-units (cfu) were rated after 5 days of incubation at 23°C under 10–14 h light. PDA provided more consistent counts of cfu compared to Sabouraud dextrose and tryptic soy agars. The predominant fungal genera identified by PCR of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of rDNA were Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Fusarium. In addition, four yeast genera were recovered. In total, 21 species of fungi and yeasts constituted the total cfu present in the inflorescences. The variables that significantly (p < 0.05) increased these TYM levels in inflorescences were: the genotype (strain) grown, presence of leaf litter in the greenhouse, harvesting activity by workers, genotypes with a higher abundance of stigmatic tissues and inflorescence leaves, higher temperature and relative humidity within the inflorescence microclimate, time of year (May–October), method of drying buds after harvest, and inadequate drying of buds. The variables which significantly (p < 0.05) decreased TYM in samples were: genotypes with lower numbers of inflorescence leaves, air circulation achieved by fans during inflorescence maturation, harvesting during November–April, hang-drying of entire inflorescence stems, and drying to a moisture content of 12–14% (water activity of 0.65–0.7) or lower which was inversely correlated with cfu levels. Under these conditions, the majority of dried commercial cannabis samples contained <1,000–5,000 cfu/g. Our findings indicate that TYM in cannabis inflorescences are the result of a dynamic interaction between genotype, environment, and post-harvest handling methods. Some of these factors may be altered by cannabis producers to reduce the potential build-up of these microbes. Among the 21 fungal and yeast species recovered from greenhouse-grown cannabis inflorescences, a few could pose a potential threat to human health, while many do not and they could provide beneficial interactions within the cannabis plant. The currently recommended plating methods onto agar media and enumeration of total cfu are unable to distinguish between these two groups.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 44%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Total yeast and mold levels in high THC-containing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescences are influenced by genotype, environment, and pre-and post-harvest handling practices

Punja,

Ni,

Lung

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…are not capable to produce mycotoxins on dry‐aged meat at temperatures between −0.5°C and 3°C (MLA, 2019). This conclusion was based on 4 key references, 3 of which describe the production of mycotoxins in food (ICMSF, 1996; Hocking and Pitt, 2003; Pitt and Hocking, 2009) and conclude that of 3 genera of concern for human health, specifically, Penicillium , Aspergillus and Fusarium , only Penicillium and Aspergillus spp. are found on meat and neither are capable of producing mycotoxins at temperatures between −0.5°C and 3°C.…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The latter relies on 4 references. Three of these describe the production of mycotoxins in different foods (ICMSF, 1996; Hocking and Pitt, 2003; Pitt and Hocking, 2009) and conclude that Penicillium and Aspergillus spp. are incapable of producing mycotoxins at temperatures between −0.5 and 3°C.…”

Section: Appendix B – Uncertainty Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological safety of aged meat

Koutsoumanis¹,

Allende²,

Álvarez‐Ordóñez³

et al. 2023

EFS2

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The impact of dry‐ageing of beef and wet‐ageing of beef, pork and lamb on microbiological hazards and spoilage bacteria was examined and current practices are described. As ‘standard fresh’ and wet‐aged meat use similar processes these were differentiated based on duration. In addition to a description of the different stages, data were collated on key parameters (time, temperature, pH and a w ) using a literature survey and questionnaires. The microbiological hazards that may be present in all aged meats included Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus , Listeria monocytogenes , enterotoxigenic Yersinia spp., Campylobacter spp. and Clostridium spp. Moulds, such as Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp., may produce mycotoxins when conditions are favourable but may be prevented by ensuring a meat surface temperature of −0.5 to 3.0°C, with a relative humidity (RH) of 75–85% and an airflow of 0.2–0.5 m/s for up to 35 days. The main meat spoilage bacteria include Pseudomonas spp . , Lactobacillus spp. Enterococcus spp., Weissella spp., Brochothrix spp., Leuconostoc spp., Lactobacillus spp., Shewanella spp. and Clostridium spp. Under current practices, the ageing of meat may have an impact on the load of microbiological hazards and spoilage bacteria as compared to standard fresh meat preparation. Ageing under defined and controlled conditions can achieve the same or lower loads of microbiological hazards and spoilage bacteria than the variable log 10 increases predicted during standard fresh meat preparation. An approach was used to establish the conditions of time and temperature that would achieve similar or lower levels of L. monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica (pork only) and lactic acid bacteria (representing spoilage bacteria) as compared to standard fresh meat. Finally, additional control activities were identified that would further assure the microbial safety of dry‐aged beef, based on recommended best practice and the outputs of the equivalence assessment.

show abstract

“…A. flavus grows at temperatures from 10°C to 48°C [ 65 ]. However, the distribution of optima suggests between 28°C and 37°C best supports fungal growth ( Figure 5 ).…”

Section: How Our Changing Agricultural Environments Influence the Myc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diverse mycotoxin threats to safe food and feed cereals

Latham,

Boyle,

Barbano

et al. 2023

Essays in Biochemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Toxigenic fungi, including Aspergillus and Fusarium species, contaminate our major cereal crops with an array of harmful mycotoxins, which threaten the health of humans and farmed animals. Despite our best efforts to prevent crop diseases, or postharvest spoilage, our cereals are consistently contaminated with aflatoxins and deoxynivalenol, and while established monitoring systems effectively prevent acute exposure, Aspergillus and Fusarium mycotoxins still threaten our food security. This is through the understudied impacts of: (i) our chronic exposure to these mycotoxins, (ii) the underestimated dietary intake of masked mycotoxins, and (iii) the synergistic threat of cocontaminations by multiple mycotoxins. Mycotoxins also have profound economic consequences for cereal and farmed-animal producers, plus their associated food and feed industries, which results in higher food prices for consumers. Climate change and altering agronomic practices are predicted to exacerbate the extent and intensity of mycotoxin contaminations of cereals. Collectively, this review of the diverse threats from Aspergillus and Fusarium mycotoxins highlights the need for renewed and concerted efforts to understand, and mitigate, the increased risks they pose to our food and feed cereals.

show abstract

Aspergillus and Related Teleomorphs

Cited by 4 publications

References 370 publications

Total yeast and mold levels in high THC-containing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescences are influenced by genotype, environment, and pre-and post-harvest handling practices

Total yeast and mold levels in high THC-containing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescences are influenced by genotype, environment, and pre-and post-harvest handling practices

Microbiological safety of aged meat

Diverse mycotoxin threats to safe food and feed cereals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About