Abstract
Abstract This study evaluated the role of dry fruits as a source of fungal contaminants or functional compounds. Dry apple, apricot, candied fruits, prune, and white and black raisin were evaluated regarding patulin and ergosterol content, centesimal composition, pH, acidity, pectin, and phenolic profile. The ergosterol was detected in 38% of the samples and patulin (PAT) in 89%, the apricot samples stood out most by contaminant level. Apricot, candied fruit, and prunes presented moisture values beyond the other dry fruits. The pH ranged from 3.8 to 4.6; acidity from 0.1 to 1.0%; sugar content from 1.7 to 5.5%; and levels of soluble and insoluble pectin from 1.6 to 5.1% and 10.9% to 27.3%, respectively. The apples showed a higher content of free phenolic compounds (6.6 mg of gallic acid/g) with a predominance of gallic and protocatechuic acids. Pearson's correlation showed a significant positive correlation between patulin and ergosterol content (0.99) and soluble pectin (0.78); a significant negative relation between total sugars (-0.66) and free phenolic compounds (-0.63). Fungal contamination and the occurrence of PAT show that this mycotoxin is present and, therefore, the evaluation of fungal toxins in dry fruits is recommended before claiming them to be a source of functional compounds.
Highlights
Dry fruits are consumed frequently due their nutritional value, practicality, durability, and high levels of functional compounds, especially pectin and phenolic acids (Fabani et al, 2017)
The official methods (Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 2000), that are frequently applied to PAT determination, were developed for apple products, in which ethy-acetate is applied as a solvent producing a great amount of residual wastes
The challenge was that the QuEChERS method, developed by Azaiez et al (2014), employed acetonitrile as an extractor solvent of the mycotoxins, as with other authors that adopted this procedure before
Summary
Dry fruits are consumed frequently due their nutritional value, practicality, durability, and high levels of functional compounds, especially pectin and phenolic acids (Fabani et al, 2017). The basic structure of phenolic compounds consists of an aromatic ring that has one or more hydroxyl groups, including other functional groups, that are responsible for their distinct physical, chemical, biological, and multifunctional properties. They are classified into flavonoids (anthocyanins, flavonols, and their derivatives) and not flavonoids (phenolic acids, their derivatives and stilbenes) (Lee et al, 2005). Pectin is a class of carbohydrates compounded by units of galacturonic acid polymerized in soluble and insoluble forms, that promote bonding among the cell walls of the vegetable In the diet they correspond to the fibre fraction that is classified as functional by their preventive properties against health damage. Due to their physicochemical characteristics, dry fruits are a good substrate for fungal growth and, if the fungi are toxigenic, they may produce mycotoxins (Ji et al, 2017)
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