Effect of Temperature, Water Activity, and pH on Growth and Production of Ochratoxin A by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus carbonarius from Brazilian Grapes

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1947-1952 ◽  
Author(s):  
FABIANA REINIS FRANCA PASSAMANI ◽  
THAIS HERNANDES ◽  
NOELLY ALVES LOPES ◽  
SABRINA CARVALHO BASTOS ◽  
WILDER DOUGLAS SANTIAGO ◽  
...  

The growth of ochratoxigenic fungus and the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in grapes and their derivatives can be caused by a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological factors. The determination of interactions between these factors and fungal species from different climatic regions is important in designing models for minimizing the risk of OTA in wine and grape juice. This study evaluated the influence of temperature, water activity (aw), and pH on the development and production of OTA in a semisynthetic grape culture medium by Aspergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus niger strains. To analyze the growth conditions and production of OTA, an experimental design was conducted using response surface methodology as a tool to assess the effects of these abiotic variables on fungal behavior. A. carbonarius showed the highest growth at temperatures from 20 to 33°C, aw between 0.95 and 0.98, and pH levels between 5 and 6.5. Similarly, for A. niger, temperatures between 24 and 37°C, aw greater than 0.95, and pH levels between 4 and 6.5 were optimal. The greatest toxin concentrations for A. carbonarius and A. niger (10 μg/g and 7.0 μg/g, respectively) were found at 15°C, aw 0.99, and pH 5.35. The lowest pH was found to contribute to greater OTA production. These results show that the evaluated fungi are able to grow and produce OTA in a wide range of temperature, aw, and pH. However, the optimal conditions for toxin production are generally different from those optimal for fungal growth. The knowledge of optimal conditions for fungal growth and production of OTA, and of the stages of cultivation in which these conditions are optimal, allows a more precise assessment of the potential risk to health from consumption of products derived from grapes.

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 2884-2888 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRYSOULA C. TASSOU ◽  
PANTELIS I. NATSKOULIS ◽  
EFSTATHIOS Z. PANAGOU ◽  
APOSTOLOS E. SPIROPOULOS ◽  
NARESH MAGAN

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of water activity (aw; 0.85 to 0.98) and temperature (10 to 40°C) on the radial growth rate and ochratoxin A (OA) production of two Aspergillus carbonarius isolates in vitro. The isolates were obtained from wine grapes cultivated in Greece, and the trial was conducted with a synthetic grape juice medium similar in composition to grapes between veraison (beginning of color change) and ripeness. Fungal growth and OA production data were collected for 55 days. Response surface curves and cardinal values for aw and temperature were obtained using multiple regression analysis. The lag phase lasted from less than 1 to 10 days. Both isolates grew optimally at 30 to 35°C and 0.96 aw, but maximum OA production occurred under suboptimal growth conditions (15 to 20°C and 0.93 to 0.96 aw). Growth also was observed at 0.85 aw and 25°C, however at this same aw the fungus failed to produce mycelium at any other temperatures tested. The isolates produced OA at 15 to 30°C and 0.90 to 0.98 aw. Maximum OA production was detected after 25 days of incubation at 20°C and 0.96 aw and was 3.14 and 2.67 μgg−1, respectively, for the two strains. The isolated strains used in this study were more xerotolerant than others from the Mediterranean basin. These data will allow producers to identify and thus monitor critical environmental conditions effectively in wine grapes. These data also increase the knowledge base concerning the ability of A. carbonarius to grow and produce toxin under different ecological conditions and can contribute to the development of secondary models for the prediction and risk assessment of OA in wine production.


2010 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. M89-M97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma Lasram ◽  
Souheib Oueslati ◽  
Ana Valero ◽  
Sonia Marin ◽  
Abdelwahed Ghorbel ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
EFSTATHIA A. KOGKAKI ◽  
PANTELIS I. NATSKOULIS ◽  
GEORGE-JOHN E. NYCHAS ◽  
EFSTATHIOS Z. PANAGOU

The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential of two nontoxigenic Aspergillus section Nigri species (Aspergillus tubingensis and Aspergillus japonicus) to influence the in vitro ochratoxin A (OTA) production of three toxigenic Aspergillus carbonarius isolates (Ac-28, Ac-29, and Ac-33) from Greek vineyards of different geographical areas. OTA accumulation was evaluated by inoculation of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0 ratios of mixed spore suspensions on a synthetic grape juice medium for up to 28 days at different temperatures (15, 20, and 25°C), water activity (aw) levels (0.95 and 0.98 aw) and incubation time (7, 14, 21, and 28 days). Results confirmed that environmental factors and fungal species had a significant effect on OTA production. Specifically, maximum OTA concentration for Ac-28 (3.21 μg g−1) and Ac-29 (7.69 μg g−1) was observed at 20°C/0.98 aw and for Ac-33 (9.13 μg g−1) at 15°C/0.95 aw, regardless of incubation time. Moreover, A. tubingensis had no significant influence on OTA concentration of all toxigenic isolates assayed, regardless of temperature, aw, and incubation time. On the other hand, the presence of A. japonicus slightly inhibited OTA production of Ac-29 and Ac-33, while for Ac-28, stimulation of OTA was observed in some cases. Overall, lower aw levels reduced OTA accumulation for Ac-28 and Ac-29, regardless of temperature, inoculum ratio, and time. On the contrary, for Ac-33, low aw increased OTA production, regardless of the investigated parameters. The importance of this study concerns the understanding of interspecific interactions on OTA diffusion by A. carbonarius in an attempt to find ways to prevent the presence of toxins in grapes and their derivatives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (5A) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Phan Thi Kim Lien

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of temperature, water activity and cinnamon essential oil on the growth of Aspergillus flavus LA01 and Aspergillus niger LA04 and these factors were further optimized to inhibit their growth. Both strains were isolated by Potato Dextrose Agar medium (PDA) and identified by sequencing method from rice collected in Long An province. Evaluating these factors’ inhibition on the fungi growth was based on growth rate at the various points of water activity (aw) (v/v) such as 0.85, 0.90, 0.95, 0.99 and at 25 oC, 30 oC, 37 oC, 42 oC; at various concentrations of the oils 0 %, 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, 7.5 %, 10 % and 15 % at  30 oC incubated for 5 days - the disc diffusion method. The results showed that             30 oC and aw = 0.95 - 0.99 were optimum conditions for Aspergillus flavus LA01 and Aspergillus niger LA04 growth. However, at 42 oC, 37 oC and aw = 0.85 - 0.9 could control Aspergillus flavus LA01 and Aspergillus niger LA04 growth. At concentration of 10 - 15% cinnamon essential oils (EOs), 30 oC and aw = 0.9 - 0.95 could also inhibit them.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.L. Chiotta ◽  
D.M. Sosa ◽  
M.L. Ponsone ◽  
S.N. Chulze

Aspergillus section Nigri are described as the main source of ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in grapes and wine worldwide. The grape-growing area in Argentina has a wide latitudinal extension with ecological variations that allow the classification of well-demarcated regions. The aims of this study were: to determine the effect of eco-physiological parameters on growth of Aspergillus tubingensis and Aspergillus carbonarius and to evaluate the interaction between these species on OTA production in synthetic grape juice medium under different water activity (aw) and temperature conditions. The results showed that optimal growth conditions for A. tubingensis and A. carbonarius were 0.980 aw and 28 °C, however A. tubingensis grew faster than A. carbonarius at all temperatures and aw tested. OTA production by A. carbonarius was favoured at 20 °C and 0.950-0.965 aw, during 14 days of incubation. The effect of A. tubingensis on OTA production by A. carbonarius was mainly dependent on temperature. At 35 °C, A. tubingensis reduced the OTA production while this effect was not observed at 20 °C. More OTA could be produced as a defence reaction against fungal competitors to maintain niche colonisation, but in this study no effects by a related species were observed.


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