Effects of Potassium Sorbate on Growth and Ochratoxin Production by Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium Species

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Effects of potassium sorbate on growth and ochratoxin production by Aspergillus ochraceus NRRL 3174 and Penicillium sp. isolated from cheese were studied. Potassium sorbate at 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15% delayed or prevented spore germination and initiation of growth, and decreased the rate of growth of both organisms in yeast-extract sucrose (YES) broth at 12°C. However, at 25°C germination and growth of A. ochraceus was more rapid. Increasing concentrations of sorbate caused more variation in the amount of total mycelial growth of Penicillium sp. and generally resulted in a decrease in total mycelial mass. Potassium sorbate also greatly reduced or prevented production of ochratoxin by Penicillium sp. for up to 70 d at 12°C. At 0.05 and 0.10% sorbate, ochratoxin production was greatly reduced over the control, and was eliminated at 0.15%. Overall, ochratoxin production by Penicillium sp. in the presence of sorbate was very low or eliminated. On the other hand, A. ochraceus responded somewhat differently to sorbate. At 12°C, A. ochraceus was similarly inhibited by all three levels of sorbate, and did not produce ochratoxin. When incubated at 25°C, A. ochraceus grew quite readily and appeared to produce greater amounts of ochratoxin in the presence of sorbate, especially at the 0.05% level. Considerably higher levels of ochratoxin were produced at 0.05% sorbate than the control, and somewhat higher levels were obtained at 0.10 and 0.15% sorbate.