Abstract
Penicillium expansum is among the most ubiquitous fungi disseminated worldwide, that could threaten the fruit sector by secreting patulin, a toxic secondary metabolite. Nevertheless, we lack sufficient data regarding the growth and the toxigenesis conditions of this species. This work enables a clear differentiation between the favorable conditions to the P. expansum growth and those promising for patulin production. A mathematical model allowing the estimation of the P. expansum growth rate according to temperature, a W, and pH, was also developed. An optimal growth rate of 0.92 cm/day was predicted at 24°C with pH level of 5.1 and high a W level of 0.99. The model's predictive capability was tested successfully on artificial contaminated apples. This model could be exploited by apple growers and the industrialists of fruit juices in order to predict the development of P. expansum during storage and apple processing.
Highlights
Filamentous fungi are broadly dispersed throughout the environment and are responsible for the spoilage and poisoning of several food matrices
All the assays were conducted on the synthetic Czapek Glucose agar medium in order to minimize other sources of variation that could be encountered on natural media and to identify clearly the effects of temperature, pH, and aW
Six separate replicate Petri plates were used for each temperature, aW, and pH value, three of which were overlaid with sterilized cellophane disks to ensure a good separation between mycelium and agar
Summary
Filamentous fungi are broadly dispersed throughout the environment and are responsible for the spoilage and poisoning of several food matrices. Penicillium expansum is a wound parasite fungus that invades fruits via injuries, caused by unfavorable weather conditions before harvest (hail, strong wind) or by rough handling, harvesting, and transport (Sanderson and Spotts 1995). This ubiquitous fungus commonly found on pome fruits causes a serious postharvest disease known as blue mold rot and produces significant amounts of patulin, giving rise to substantial fruit losses and serious public health issues (Moake et al 2005). Patulin is known to have potent cytotoxic, genotoxic as well as immunotoxic effects
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