• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.67-78
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• 2016

Rice contaminated with fungal species during storage is not only of poor quality and low economic value, but may also have harmful effects on human and animal health. The predominant fungal species isolated from rice grains during storage belong to the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. Some of these fungal species produce mycotoxins; they are responsible for adverse health effects in humans and animals, particularly Aspergillus flavus, which produces the extremely carcinogenic aflatoxins. Not surprisingly, there have been numerous attempts to devise safety procedure for the control of such harmful fungi and production of mycotoxins, including aflatoxins. This review provides information about fungal and mycotoxin contamination of stored rice grains, and microbe-based (biological) strategies to control grain fungi and mycotoxins. The latter will include information regarding attempts undertaken for mycotoxin (especially aflatoxin) bio-detoxification and microbial interference with the aflatoxin-biosynthetic pathway in the toxin-producing fungi.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.206-211
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• 2001

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of mixed culture with mycotoxigenic and non-mycotoxigenic fungi on mycotoxin production. For this work, Aspegillus flavus (aflatoxin producing strain), Aspegillus niger (non-mycotoxigenic strain) and Penicillium griseofulvum (patulin producing strain)were cultured in 5 ml SLS medium for 15 days under single or mixed culture. Aflatoxin was determined by direct competitive ELISA, whereas, patulin was measured by HPLC. The mycelial growth, pH and total acidity were also observed by general methods. The mycelial growth was slightly decreased in the mixed culture, meanwhile total acidity was increased and pH was shown lower than that in single culture. Aspergillus flavus produced 145 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml of aflatoxin for 12 days single culture, but in mixed culture, aflatoxin was decreased to 93%, and was shown as 10.16$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml level. Patulin production in mixed culture was also decreased to 69.3% and was shown only 23.72$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml level as compared with in single culture.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.155-163
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• 2021

Dried red peppers are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins during storage. To determine the effect of storage environments on fungal occurrence and subsequent mycotoxin accumulation in dried red peppers, we monitored red pepper powder and whole fruit samples for fungal occurrence under various temperatures and relative humidity (RH) conditions during 340 days. Fungal occurrences fluctuated in both pepper forms throughout the storage but they were higher in pepper powder than whole one, higher under low temperatures (-20℃, 0℃, or 4℃) than others (10℃, 25℃, or 30℃), and higher under RH 93% than RH 51% and 69% in both peppers. The samples exhibiting high fungal occurrences were associated mainly with dominant species such as Aspergillussydowii, Penicillium solitum, P. roqueforti, P. polonicum, or P. chrysogenum. Mycotoxigenic species, including A. flavus, A. ochraceus, A. westerdijkiae, A. tubingensis, and P. citrinum, were also detected throughout the samples. Although mycotoxins were not detected in the samples, mycotoxigenic potential of A. flavus, A. ochraceus, and A. westerdijkiae isolates were confirmed. These results show that low temperatures (-20℃, 0℃, or 4℃) and/or high surrounding RH (>93%) are not safe environments for storage of dried red peppers as fungal growth can occur under these conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.226-236
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• 2020

Antibiotic resistance by pathogenic bacteria and fungi is one of the most serious global public health problems in the 21^st century, directly affecting human health and lifestyle. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus with strong resistance to the common antibiotics have been isolated from Intensive Care Unit patients at Zagazig Hospital. Thus, in this study we assessed the biocidal activity of nanoparticles of silver, copper and zinc synthesized by Fusarium solani KJ 623702 against these multidrug resistant-bacteria. The synthesized Metal Nano-particles (MNPs) were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Zeta potential. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) result showed the presence of different functional groups such as carboxyl, amino and thiol, ester and peptide bonds in addition to glycosidic bonds that might stabilize the dispersity of MNPs from aggregation. The antimicrobial potential of MNPs by F. solani against the multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in addition to the mycotoxigenic Aspergillus awamori, A. fumigatus and F. oxysporum was investigated, based on the visual growth by diameter of inhibition zone. Among the synthesized MNPs, the spherical AgNPs (13.70 nm) displayed significant effect against P. aeruginosa (Zone of Inhibition 22.4 mm and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration 21.33 ㎍/ml), while ZINC oxide Nano-Particles were the most effective against F. oxysporum (ZOI, 18.5 mm and MIC 24.7 ㎍/ml). Transmission Electron Microscope micrographs of AgNP-treated P. aeruginosa showed cracks and pits in the cell wall, with internalization of NPs. Production of pyocyanin pigment was significantly inhibited by AgNPs in a concentration-dependent manner, and at 5-20 ㎍ of AgNPs/ml, the pigment production was reduced by about 15-100%, respectively.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.41-41
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• 2018

There has been an impetus in the development of biocontrol agents (BCAs) with the removal of a number of chemical compounds in the market, especially in the European Union. This has been a major driver in the development of Integrated Pest Management systems (IPM) for both pest and disease control. For control of mycotoxigenic fungi, there is interest in both control of colonization and more importantly toxin contamination of staple food commodities. Thus the relative inoculum potential of biocontrol agent vs the toxigenic specie sis important. The major bottlenecks in the production and development of formulations of biocontrol agents are the resilience of the strains, inoculum quality and formulation with effective field efficacy. It was recently been shown for mycotoxigenic fungi such as Aspergillus flavus, under extreme climate change conditions, growth is not affected although there may be a stimulation of aflatoxin production. Thus, the development of resilient biocontrol strains which can may have conserved control efficacy but have the necessary resilience becomes critical form a food security point of view. Indeed, under predicted climate change scenarios the diversity of pests and fungal diseases are expected to have profound impacts on food security. Thus, when examining the identification of potential biocontrol strains, production and formulation it is critical that the resilience to CC environmental factors are included and quantified. The problems in relation to the physiological competence and the relative humidity range over which efficacy can occur, especially pre-harvest may be increase under climate change conditions. We have examined the efficacy of atoxigenic strains of A. flavus and Clanostachys rosea and other candidates for control of A. flavus and aflatoxin contamination of maize, and for Fusarium verticillioides and fumonisin toxin control. We have also examined the potential use of fluidized-bed drying, nanoparticles/nanospheres and encapsulation approaches to enhance the potential for the production of resilient biocontrol formulations. The objective being the delivery of biocontrol efficacy under extreme interacting climatic conditions. The potential impact of climate change factors on the efficacy of biocontrol of fungal diseases and mycotoxins are discussed.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2011

To evaluate the indoor air quality of food manufacturing plants, the presence of viable bacteria and fungi was assessed in the indoor air of the facilities at which 9 food items were manufactured. Air samples were collected from the general zone, low clean zone and clean zone of each factory with an air sampler, in combination with plate counts agar using for bacteria, and dichloran-glycerol agar for fungi. The samples were incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ for 4 to 7 days. After culture, the colony forming units (CFU) on each plate were counted and corrected with a positive hole conversion table. The average concentration of bacteria was $2.2{\times}10^3\;CFU/m^3$ in the general zone, $1.2{\times}10^3\;CFU/m^3$ in the low clean zone and $7.3{\times}10^2\;CFU/m^3$ in the clean zone. The average concentration of fungal microbes was $2.5{\times}10^3\;CFU/m^3$ in the general zone, $2.6{\times}10^3\;CFU/m^3$ in the low clean zone, and $2.0{\times}10^2\;CFU/m^3$ in the clean zone. No meaningful differences were detected between the general zone and the low clean zone, but the clean zone had significantly lower concentrations than the other zones. Additionally, the identification of the fungi was performed according to morphological method using a giant culture and slide culture. The fungi were identified as belonging to 18 genera, and the genera Cladosporium(33%), Penicillium(29%) and Aspergillus(26%), predominated. Aspergillus isolates were identified to species level, and A. ochraceus, a mycotoxigenic species, was identified. As part of the effort to control the quality of the indoor air of food manufacturing plants, our results show that continued studies are clearly warranted.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.240-254
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• 2017

Cereal grains are the most important food source for humans. As the global population continues to grow exponentially, the need for the enhanced yield and minimal loss of agricultural crops, mainly cereal grains, is increasing. In general, harvested grains are stored for specific time periods to guarantee their continuous supply throughout the year. During storage, economic losses due to reduction in quality and quantity of grains can become very significant. Grain loss is usually the result of its deterioration due to fungal contamination that can occur from preharvest to postharvest stages. The deleterious fungi can be classified based on predominance at different stages of crop growth and harvest that are affected by environmental factors such as water activity ($a_w$) and eco-physiological requirements. These fungi include species such as those belonging to the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium that can produce mycotoxins harmful to animals and humans. The grain type and condition, environment, and biological factors can also influence the occurrence and predominance of mycotoxigenic fungi in stored grains. The main environmental factors influencing grain fungi and mycotoxins are temperature and $a_w$. This review discusses the effects of temperature and $a_w$ on fungal growth and mycotoxin production in stored grains. The focus is on the occurrence and optimum and minimum growth requirements for grain fungi and mycotoxin production. The environmental influence on aflatoxin production and hypothesized mechanisms of its molecular suppression in response to environmental changes are also discussed. In addition, the use of controlled or modified atmosphere as an environmentally safe alternative to harmful agricultural chemicals is discussed and recommended future research issues are highlighted.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1128-1139
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• 2020

Over recent years, it has become evident that food and agricultural products are easily contaminated by fungi of Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium due to rapid climate change, which is not only a global food quality concern but also a serious health concern. Owing to consumers' interest in health, resistance to preservatives such as propionic acid and sorbic acid (which have been used in the past) is increasing, so it is necessary to develop a substitute from natural materials. In this review, the role of lactic acid bacteria as a biological method for controlling the growth and toxin production of fungi was examined. According to recent studies, lactic acid bacteria effectively inhibit the growth of fungi through various metabolites such as organic acids with low molecular weight, reuterin, proteinaceous compounds, hydroxy fatty acids, and phenol compounds. Lactic acid bacteria effectively reduced mycotoxin production by fungi via adsorption of mycotoxin with lactic acid bacteria cell surface components, degradation of fungal mycotoxin, and inhibition of mycotoxin production. Lactic acid bacteria could be regarded as a potential anti-fungal and anti-mycotoxigenic material in the prevention of fungal contamination of food and agricultural products because lactic acid bacteria produce various kinds of potent metabolic compounds with anti-fungal activities.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.33-33
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• 2016

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi. They can be present in where agricultural-based commodities are contaminated with toxigenic fungi. These mycotoxins cause various toxicoses in human and livestock when consumed. Small grains including corn, barley, rice or wheat are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins due to infection mainly by toxigenic Fusarium species and/or under environment favorable to fungal growth. One of the most well-known Fusarium toxin groups in cereals is trichothecenes consisting of many toxic compounds. Deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), T-2 toxin, and various derivatives belong to this group. Zearalenone and fumonisin (FB) are also frequently produced by many species of the same genus. In order to monitor Korean cereals for contamination with Fusarium and other mycotoxigenic fungal species as well, barley, corn, maize, rice grains, and soybean were collected from fields at harvest or during storage for several years. The fungal colonies outgrown from the grain samples were identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Trichothecene chemotypes of Fusarium species or presence of FB biosynthetic gene were determined using respective diagnostic PCR to predict possible toxin production. Heavy grain contamination with fungi was detected in barley, rice and wheat. Predominant fungal genus of barley and wheat was Alternaria (up to 90%) while that of rice was Fusarium (~40%). Epicoccum also appeared frequently in barley, rice and wheat. While frequency of Fusarium species in barley and wheat was less than 20%, the genus mainly consisted of Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) which known to be head blight pathogen and mycotoxin producer. Fusarium composition of rice was more diverse as FGSC, Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), and Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) appeared all at considerable frequencies. Prevalent fungal species of corn was FFSC (~50%), followed by FGSC (<30%). Most of FFSC isolates of corn tested appeared to be FB producer. In corn, Fusarium graminearum and DON chemotype dominate within FGSC, which was different from other cereals. Soybeans were contaminated with fungi less than other crops and Cercospora, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Fusarium etc. were detected at low frequencies (up to 14%). Other toxigenic species such as Aspergillus and Penicillium were irregularly detected at very low frequencies. Multi-year survey of small grains revealed dominant fungal species of Korea (barley, rice and wheat) is Fusarium asiaticum having NIV chemotype.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.499-507
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• 2017

In an attempt to develop a biological control agent against mycotoxigenic Fusarium species, we isolated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain DA12 from soil and explored its antimicrobial activities. DA12 was active against the growth of mycotoxigenic F. asiaticum, F. graminearum, F. proliferatum, and F. verticillioides both in vitro and in planta (maize). Further screening using dual culture extended the activity range of strain DA12 against other fungal pathogens including Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum coccodes, Endothia parasitica, Fusarium oxysporum, Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae, and Rhizoctonia solani. The butanol extract of the culture filtrate of B. amyloliquefaciens DA12 highly inhibited the germination of F. graminearum macroconidia with inhibition rate 83% at a concentration of $31.3{\mu}g/ml$ and 100% at a concentration of $250{\mu}g/ml$. The antifungal metabolite from the butanol extract was identified as iturin A by thin layer chromatography-bioautography. In addition, volatile organic compounds produced by DA12 were able to inhibit mycelial growth of various phytopathogenic fungi. The volatile compounds were identified as 2-heptanone, 5-methyl heptanone and 6-methyl heptanone by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. These results indicate that the antagonistic activity of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DA12 was attributable to iturin A and volatile heptanones, and the strain could be used as a biocontrol agent to reduce the development of Fusarium diseases and mycotoxin contamination of crops.