Survey of the mycobiota of freshly harvested wheat grains in the main production areas of Tunisia

Abstract

Wheat is one of the most important cereals produced and consumed in Mediterranean countries. A mycological survey was carried out on freshly harvested wheat grains from the main production regions at the Northern part of Tunisia, namely Jendouba, Beja and Bizerte, during the crop year of 2009. A total of 88 samples were analysed. The incidences, isolation frequencies and relative densities of fungi were determined. The results showed the presence of several genera among them, in which both of the field fungi, Fusarium and Alternaria, were present in the Tunisian wheat with dominance for the genus Alternaria. The most predominant mycotoxigenic species were Fusarium culmorum among Fusarium species andAlternaria alternata among Alternaria species. They were detected in about 66 and 95.5% of fields, respectively. These species are known to decrease the food quality indirectly by the biosynthesis of several hazardous compounds. Key words: Wheat, Tunisia, mycobiota, Fusarium, Alternaria, quality.