Abstract
Background: The role of fungi in cocoa crops is mainly associated with plant diseases and contamination of harvest with unwanted metabolites such as mycotoxins that can reach the final consumer. However, in recent years there has been interest in discovering other existing interactions in the environment that may be beneficial, such as antagonism, commensalism, and the production of specific enzymes, among others. Scope and approach: This review summarizes the different fungi species involved in cocoa production and the cocoa supply chain. In particular, it examines the presence of fungal species during cultivation, harvest, fermentation, drying, and storage, emphasizing the factors that possibly influence their prevalence in the different stages of production and the health risks associated with the production of mycotoxins in the light of recent literature. Key findings and conclusion: Fungi associated with the cocoa production chain have many different roles. They have evolved in a varied range of ecosystems in close association with plants and various habitats, affecting nearly all the cocoa chain steps. Reports of the isolation of 60 genera of fungi were found, of which only 19 were involved in several stages. Although endophytic fungi can help control some diseases caused by pathogenic fungi, climate change, with increased rain and temperatures, together with intensified exchanges, can favour most of these fungal infections, and the presence of highly aggressive new fungal genotypes increasing the concern of mycotoxin production. For this reason, mitigation strategies need to be determined to prevent the spread of disease-causing fungi and preserve beneficial ones.
Highlights
Theobroma cacao L. is a tree native to the Upper Amazon basin that includes territories in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia
Ortega Andrade et al [152], by using species distribution models (SDM) with nineteen climatic variables for the present and the future (5, 35, and 65 years), analysed the impact of climate change (CC) on the potential distribution of M. roreri and T. cacao in South America. Their results suggested that the precipitation during the wettest month is the most influential variable for the presence and proliferation of M. roreri, and they estimated that this phytopathogenic fungus could extend from southern Ecuador to regions interconnected by cocoa crops in South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, and Western Brazil)
Fungi associated with the cocoa production chain have many different roles
Summary
Theobroma cacao L. is a tree native to the Upper Amazon basin that includes territories in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Thanks to the pre-Colombian cultures, it spread throughout the world The seeds of this fruit (cocoa beans) are used to make chocolate. The beans are subjected to a fermentation stage (an essential step in which mucilaginous pulp surrounding the seed is removed) and a drying stage before being sent for further processing. These are the most crucial production stages, where important cocoa changes occur, ensuring that cocoa gets its characteristic flavours and aroma [2,3]. This paper gives an overview of the different fungal species involved in cocoa production and their presence during preharvest and postharvest procedures and about the role of climate change in the disease distribution and cocoa production
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