Black aspergilli in Brazilian onions: From field to market.

The occurrence of black aspergilli in onions has been reported as frequent, and this group of fungi harbors potentially toxigenic species. In addition, Aspergillus niger has been reported as the causative agent of black mold rot, an important postharvest disease that causes damage throughout the world. Brazil stands out as one of the world's largest onion producers. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the mycobiota in Brazilian onions. For this reason, we investigated the mycobiota of 48 market (n = 25) and field (n = 23) onion bulb samples. Nineteen soil samples were collected from the same fields and evaluated. In field onions and soil samples, Penicillium spp. was the prevalent fungal group, whereas in market samples A. section Nigri was the most frequent group. Due to the taxonomic complexity of this group, species identification was supported by phylogenetic data (CaM gene). A. welwitschiae was the most prevalent species in market samples. Black aspergillus strains were evaluated for fumonisin B2 (FB2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) production. Overall, 53% and 2.2% of the strains produced FB2 and OTA, respectively. The occurrence of FB2 and OTA was also investigated in onion bulb samples but none showed contamination with these mycotoxins.

Produção de lacase de fungos basidiomicetos por fermentação submersa com cascas de café / Laccase production from basidiomycetes by submerged fermentation with coffee hurks / Producción de lacase de hongos basidiomicetos por fermentación sumergida con cascaras de café

Cascas de café são fonte de carboidratos e nutrientes que podem ser bioconvertidos em produtos de interesse como enzimas. Lacases são cobre polifenol oxidases que oxidam compostos fenólicos, enquanto reduzem oxigênio molecular à água e; sua baixa especificidade a substratos permite sua aplicação em várias áreas como indústria têxtil, de alimentos e biorremediação. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram avaliar a capacidade de produção de lacase de três linhagens de fungos basidiomicetos (Lentinula edodes U6/1, Pleurotus ostreatus U6/9 e Pleurotus florida U6/10) por fermentação submersa com cascas de café e avaliar o uso de cobre como indutor dessa enzima. A casca de café mostrou ser um bom substrato para produção de lacases e das três linhagens testadas Pleurotus ostreatus (U6/9) foi a mais produtiva (22,5 U mL-1). A melhor fonte de nitrogênio para produção de lacases de Pleurotus ostreatus (U6/9) foi o extrato de levedura na concentração de 9 g/L (20 U mL-1). A adição de 150 μM de CuSO4 resultou na indução significativa na produção de lacases nessa linhagem (21 U mL-1) no 12° dia de cultivo.

Coffee husks are a source of carbohydrates and nutrients that may be bioconverted into products of interest, such as enzymes. Laccases are copper polyphenol oxidases that oxidize phenolic compounds while reducing molecular oxygen to water. Laccase’s low specificity to substrates allows its application in several areas such as textiles, food processing and bioremediation industries. The aims of this study were to evaluate the potential to produce laccase from three strains of basidiomycetous fungi (Lentinula edodes U6/1, Pleurotus ostreatus U6/9, and Pleurotus florida U6/10) by submerged fermentation with coffee husks, and to evaluate the use of copper as an inducer of the enzyme. Coffee husk proved to be a good substrate for laccase production, with Pleurotus ostreatus (U6/9) being the most productive strain (22.5 U mL-1). The best source of nitrogen for laccase production of Pleurotus ostreatus (U6/9) was yeast extract 9 g/L (20 U mL-1). The addition of CuSO4 (150 μM) resulted in significant induction of laccase (21 U mL-1) on the 12th day of cultivation.

Cáscaras de café son fuente de carbohidratos y nutrientes que pueden ser bioconvertidos en productos de interés, tales como enzimas. Lacases son cobre polifenol oxidasas que oxidan compuestos fenólicos, mientras reducen el oxígeno molecular a el agua y; su baja especificidad a sustratos permite su aplicación en diversas áreas, como la industria textil, de alimentos y de biorremediación. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron evaluar la capacidad de producción de lacase de tres linajes de hongos basidiomicetos (Lentinula edodes U6/1, Pleurotus ostreatus U6/9 y Pleurotus florida U6/10) por fermentación sumergida con cáscaras de café, y evaluar el uso del cobre como inductor de esta enzima. La cáscara de café resultó ser un buen sustrato para la producción de lacases y, de las tres linajes probadas, Pleurotus ostreatus (U6/9) fue la más productiva (22,5 U mL-1). La mejor fuente de nitrógeno para la producción de lacases de Pleurotus ostreatus (U6/9) fue el extracto de levadura a una concentración de 9 g L-1 (20 U mL-1). La adición de 150 μM de CuSO4 resultó en la inducción significativa de Cáscaras de café son fuente de carbohidratos y nutrientes que pueden ser bioconvertidos en productos de interés, evadura a una concentración de 9 g L-1 (20 U mL-1). La adición de 150 μM de CuSO4 resultó en la inducción significativa de la producción de lacases en esa linaje (21 U mL-1), en el 12º día de cultivo.