Abstract
Storage of freshly harvested fruit is a key factor in modulating their supply for several months after harvest; however, their quality can be reduced by pathogen attack. Fruit pathogens may infect their host through damaged surfaces, such as mechanical injuries occurring during growing, harvesting, and packing, leading to increased colonization as the fruit ripens. Of particular concern are fungal pathogens that not only macerate the host tissue but also secrete significant amounts of mycotoxins. Many studies have described the importance of physiological factors, including stage of fruit development, biochemical factors (ripening, C and N content), and environmental factors (humidity, temperature, water deficit) on the occurrence of mycotoxins. However, those factors usually show a correlative effect on fungal growth and mycotoxin accumulation. Recent reports have suggested that host factors can induce fungal metabolism, leading to the synthesis and accumulation of mycotoxins. This review describes the new vision of host-factor impact on the regulation of mycotoxin biosynthetic gene clusters underlying the complex regulation of mycotoxin accumulation in ripening fruit.
Highlights
Fruit spoilage by fungi causes substantial economic losses and health risks upon mycotoxin consumption
Since the infection by mycotoxigenic fungi in fruit occurs in the field, during harvesting, postharvest, and during storage, the physiological changes inducing ripening occurring in the host after infection and their contribution to mycotoxin accumulation are likely of great importance
Ammonia induced patulin accumulation concurrently with transcript activation of pacC and patulin BCG genes, indicating the regulatory effect of ammonia on pacC transcript expression under acidic conditions [120]. These findings indicate that external factors affect fungal growth, and that intrinsic metabolic changes lead to different levels of sugar availability occurring in the fruit during ripening and pathogenesis, which may affect first and secondary fungal metabolism and mycotoxin accumulation
Summary
Fruit spoilage by fungi causes substantial economic losses and health risks upon mycotoxin consumption. Toxins 2017, 9, 280 between internal and environmental factors, including the geographical location where the fruit is grown and harvested, the humidity, temperature, pathogen load on the fruit, fungal strain, fruit type and cultivar, ripening, and fruit physiological properties [5,6]. Fruit maturity at harvest is believed to be an important factor in susceptibility to infection by pathogenic fungi during postharvest storage, due to high sugar content, water activity (aw ), changes in pH, decreased firmness, and weakening defense systems [7,8,9]. Since the infection by mycotoxigenic fungi in fruit occurs in the field, during harvesting, postharvest, and during storage, the physiological changes inducing ripening occurring in the host after infection and their contribution to mycotoxin accumulation are likely of great importance
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