Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Nov;37(4):327-339.
doi: 10.1007/s12550-021-00438-8. Epub 2021 Oct 25.

Occurrence of fumonisin-producing black aspergilli in Australian wine grapes: effects of temperature and water activity on fumonisin production by A. niger and A. welwitschiae

D Perera  1   2 , S Savocchia  3   4 , P D Prenzler  4 , P C Thomson  5 , C C Steel  3   4
Affiliations

Occurrence of fumonisin-producing black aspergilli in Australian wine grapes: effects of temperature and water activity on fumonisin production by A. niger and A. welwitschiae

D Perera et al. Mycotoxin Res. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Black aspergilli are some of the most common mycotoxigenic fungi in vineyards worldwide. The aims of this research were to assess the occurrence of fumonisin-producing black aspergilli in Australian wine grapes and the effects of environmental factors on fumonisin production by A. niger and A. welwitschiae (syn. A. awamori). Thirty-eight Aspergillus isolates (black aspergilli) were collected from six wine grape varieties grown in Australian vineyards. LC-MS/MS analysis of culture extracts revealed that six isolates produced fumonisins FB2 and FB4. Molecular data revealed that all fumonisin-producing isolates were A. niger and A. welwitschiae. None of the reference isolates, A. carbonarius, A. tubingensis, A. japonicus, and A. foetidus, were positive for fumonisin production. The effects of temperature and water activity on the growth and production of fumonisins were studied using two A. niger and an isolate of A. welwitschiae on synthetic grape juice medium (SGJM) at 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, and 35 °C, and 0.92 aw, 0.95 aw, and 0.98 aw levels. All isolates produced FB2 and FB4 at 0.95 aw and 0.98 aw and 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C. The highest growth rate observed was 14.89 mm/day for A. welwitschiae at 0.98 aw and 35 °C, whereas the highest fumonisin production observed was 25.3 mg/kg at 0.98 aw and 20 °C for A. welwitschiae. None of the isolates produced fumonisins at 35 °C at any water activity levels. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of fumonisin-positive isolates of Aspergillus from Australian wine grapes and the impact of the environmental factors on fumonisin production by A. welwitschiae.

Keywords: Aspergillus niger; Aspergillus welwitschiae; Fumonisins; LC–MS/MS analysis; Wine grapes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Abarca ML, Bragulat MR, Castellá G, Cabañes FJ (2019) Impact of some environmental factors on growth and ochratoxin A production by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus welwitschiae. Int J Food Microbiol 291:10–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.11.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abbas HK, Gelderblom WCA, Cawood ME, Shier WT (1993) Biological activities of fumonisins, mycotoxins from Fusarium moniliforme, in jimsonweed ( Datura stramonium L.) and mammalian cell cultures. Toxicon (Oxford), 31(3), 345–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/0041-0101(93)90152-9 .
    1. Abbas A, Valez H, Dobson AD (2009) Analysis of the effect of nutritional factors on OTA and OTB biosynthesis and polyketide synthase gene expression in Aspergillus ochraceus. Int J Food Microbiol 135:22–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2009.07.014 - DOI
    1. Abrunhosa L, Serra R, Venâncio A (2002) Biodegradation of ochratoxin A by fungi isolated from grapes. J Agric Food Chem 50(25):7493–7496. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf025747i - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abrunhosa L, Calado T, Venancio A (2011) Incidence of fumonisin B(2) production by Aspergillus niger in Portuguese wine regions. J Agric Food Chem. 59:7514–7518. Abrunhosa L, Serra R, Venâncio A (2002) Biodegradation of ochratoxin A by fungi isolated from grapes. J Agric Food Chem 50:7493–7496. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf202123q - DOI

LinkOut - more resources