Abstract
Different agricultural products, including grapes, are susceptible to contamination and damage by several microorganisms, one being fungi and their mycotoxins such as ochratoxin A. These alterations are a source of food waste and lead to significant economic losses. Thus, new alternatives have been sought in parallel with existing methods. In this work, after isolation, identification by 16S rDNA sequencing and differentiation by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) of four lactic acid bacteria from different traditional Moroccan food products, antifungal activity was studied against Aspergillus carbonarius and A. niger isolated from Moroccan grapes. Their effect on ochratoxin A production was also assessed. A strain of Lactoccocus lactis ssp. lactis (F) and three strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. mesenteroides (I, C, and D) selected from 16 isolated strains were tested. Their antifungal activities against Aspergillus spp. were quite significant, with growth inhibition rates ranging from 28.69% to 53.31%. Likewise, ochratoxin A production by Aspergillus strains was significantly reduced. Indeed, in the presence of the Lactoccocus lactis ssp. lactis (F) strain, this reduction was about 63.90% and 65.12% for A. niger and A. carbonarius, respectively; however, an 89.38% reduction for A. niger and 19.35 % A. carbonarius was achieved for the Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. mesenteroides (I) strain. These results revealed strain-dependent antifungal activity. Our study indicates that the use of these lactic acid bacteria can be applied as a biocontrol of fungal growth and mycotoxins production.
Highlights
Deterioration of food by filamentous fungi is a major preoccupation for farmers and the food industry due to their capacity to grow under harsh environmental conditions; they limit the shelf life of food products and cause a 5-10% loss in world crops (Pitt & Hocking, 2009)
Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from various natural products of different Moroccan origin, including raw milk, Smen, Jben, Lben, as well as brine of fermented olives and capers
We evaluated the ability of lactic acid bacteria to inhibit growth of A. niger and A. carbonarius and their effects on ochratoxin A (OTA) production
Summary
Deterioration of food by filamentous fungi is a major preoccupation for farmers and the food industry due to their capacity to grow under harsh environmental conditions; they limit the shelf life of food products and cause a 5-10% loss in world crops (Pitt & Hocking, 2009). OTA is among the most studied mycotoxins because of its damaging effects on human and animal health, inducing nephrotoxic, carcinogenic possible effects, teratogenic, immunotoxic, and neurotoxic reactions (IARC, 1993; Pfohl‐Leszkowicz & Manderville, 2007). In grapes and their derivatives, the most important species of Aspergillus sp. LAB can be found naturally in different foodborne products (Carr et al, 2002; Gajbhiye & Kapadnis, 2016) They have been widely used in traditional fermentation processes since they are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) and have important technological properties, such as inhibiting the growth of fungi by producing antifungal compounds (Gajbhiye and Kapadnis, 2016). The effect of the selected isolate bacteria on OTA production by the Aspergillus sp. was studied
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