Culture and molecular identification of fungal contaminants in edible bird nests.

Widespread food poisoning due to microbial contamination has been a major concern for the food industry, consumers and governing authorities. This study is designed to determine the levels of fungal contamination in edible bird nests (EBNs) using culture and molecular techniques. Raw EBNs were collected from five house farms, and commercial EBNs were purchased from five Chinese traditional medicine shops (companies A-E) in Peninsular Malaysia. The fungal contents in the raw and commercial EBNs, and boiled and unboiled EBNs were determined. Culturable fungi were isolated and identified. In this study, the use of these methods revealed that all EBNs had fungal colony-forming units (CFUs) that exceeded the limit set by Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) for yeast and moulds in EBNs. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the number of types of fungi isolated from raw and commercial EBNs, but no significant difference in the reduction of the number of types of fungi after boiling the EBNs (p > 0.05). The types of fungi isolated from the unboiled raw EBNs were mainly soil, plant and environmental fungi, while the types of fungi isolated from the boiled raw EBNs, unboiled and boiled commercial EBNs were mainly environmental fungi. Aspergillus sp., Candida sp., Cladosporium sp., Neurospora sp. and Penicillum sp. were the most common fungi isolated from the unboiled and boiled raw and commercial EBNs. Some of these fungi are mycotoxin producers and cause opportunistic infections in humans. Further studies to determine the mycotoxin levels and methods to prevent or remove these contaminations from EBNs for safe consumption are necessary. The establishment and implementation of stringent regulations for the standards of EBNs should be regularly updated and monitored to improve the quality of the EBNs and consumer safety.

An endophytic Neurospora sp. from Nothapodytes foetida producing camptothecin.

The medicinal plant, Nothapodytes foetida contains a number of important alkaloids like camptothecin (an anticancer drug molecule) but its concentration is less to meet the existing demand of this important molecule, so in an effort for accessible availability of camptothecin. An endophyte (designated ZP5SE) was isolated from the seed of Nothapodytes foetida and was examined as potential source of anticancer drug lead compound i.e. camptothecin, when grown in Sabouraud liquid culture media under shake flask conditions. The presence of anticancer compound (camptothecin) in this fungus was confirmed by chromatographic and spectroscopic methods in comparison with authentic camptothecin. Isolated endophyte (Neurospora crassa) producing camptothecin may become an easily accessible source for the production of precursor anticancer drug molecule in future at large scale.

Isolation of Neurospora crassa bradytrophs.

A method was developed for the isolation of Neurospora bradytrophs. The bradytrophs (representing lesions in a number of pathways) were resistant to DL-p-fluorophenylalanine when growing in a leaky fashion but were sensitive when grown in the presence of their stimulating supplement.