Occurrence of Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi in Cereals and Application of Yeast Volatiles for Their Biological Control

Abstract

Fungal infections in cereals lead to huge economic losses in the food and agriculture industries. This study was designed to investigate the occurrence of toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in marketed cereals and explore the effect of the antagonistic yeast Cyberlindnera jadinii volatiles against key toxigenic fungal strains. Aspergillus spp. were the most frequent contaminating fungi in the cereals, with an isolation frequency (Fr) of 100% in maize, followed by wheat (88.23%), rice (78.57%) and oats (14.28%). Morphological and molecular identification confirmed the presence of key toxigenic fungal strains in cereal samples, including A. carbonarius, A. flavus, A. niger, A. ochraceus and A. parasiticus. Aflatoxins (AFs) were detected in all types of tested cereal samples, with a significantly higher level in maize compared to wheat, rice, oats and breakfast cereals. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was only detected in wheat, rice and maize samples. Levels of mycotoxins in cereals were within EU permissible limits. The volatiles of Cyberlindnera jadinii significantly inhibited the growth of A. parasiticus, A. niger and P. verrucosum. The findings of this study confirm the presence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in cereals within the EU permissible limits and the significant biocontrol ability of Cyberlindnera jadinii against these toxigenic fungi.

WITHDRAWN: Application of molecular image technology in the detection of fungal toxins in rice and identification of their producing bacteria

“…Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by growth and reproduction of toxin-producing fungi when crops are infested with fungi during planting, harvesting, transportation and storage, mainly produced by ve kinds of fungi, namely Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Streptomyces and Ergot [21][22] . Fungal toxins are small molecular compounds (0.3-0.7KDa), good thermal stability, its structural properties will not be destroyed by high temperature, so once generated in crops, it is easy to accumulate in body with food chain, inhibit synthesis of body proteins and related enzymes, attack nervous system, liver, kidneys and other organs, leading to vomiting, muscle cramps, central nervous system bleeding, cirrhosis, nephritis and other diseases It can even cause cancer in serious cases [23] . In view of this, China rst promulgated national limit of mycotoxins GB 2761 − 1981 (repealed) in 1981, and after continuous optimization and modi cation, current national limit of food safety GB 2761 − 2017 "Limits of mycotoxins in food" was promulgated in 2017, which gives clear instructions on toxin types, limits, and food types, aiming to protect national food safety and health [24][25] .…”

Nutritional profiling, fiber content and in vitro bioactivities of wheat-based biscuits formulated with novel ingredients

“…This finding suggests a positive impact, especially considering the abundance of this toxigenic microorganism in cereal crops, particularly in maize, wheat and barley. 37 The antimicrobial activity may be linked to the nutritional composition of both ingredients and biscuits, where phenolic compounds could have had a relevant role. These compounds have the capability to interact with lipids and proteins in the cell membrane, making it not to be semipermeable and causing the leakage of ions and other cellular components.…”

Survey and toxigenic abilities of Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Alternaria fungi from wheat and paddy grains in Shanghai, China

“…Aspergillus spp. is normally considered as the fungi developed in stored commodities and widely discovered in stored grains ( Medina et al., 2006 ; Riba et al., 2010 ; Alkuwari et al., 2022 ; Tournas and Niazi, 2018 ; Zhao et al, 2020 ). All Aspergillus strains were isolated from stored grains, and 47.5% could produce AFBs.…”