Spoilage fungi in a bread factory in Brazil: Diversity and incidence through the bread-making process.

This study aimed to verify the main fungal species involved in the deterioration of different types of bread and to identify the possible sources of contamination of these products. Samples of raw materials (n = 127), environmental air (n = 50) and moldy bread (n = 90) were analyzed. Aspergillus candidus, Wallemia sebi, and Penicillium roqueforti were the predominant species in the raw materials and were isolated in samples of wheat flour, in two-thirds of the samples of rye and 62.5% of the wheat flour. Penicillium roqueforti was isolated from all types of moldy bread analyzed and Hyphopichia burtoni was also present in samples of moldy wheat and rye bread. These two species were also recovered during air sampling from baking industry facilities (cooling and slice and package areas), which may be crucial for product contamination after baking. Hygienic measures to reduce airborne contamination during the cooling and packaging of food should be taken to prevent the early deterioration of bread.

Ochratoxin A production by Aspergillus westerdijkiae in Italian-type salami.

The occurrence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in matured meat products can be attributed to mycotoxin coming from raw materials and/or molds that develop on the product surface during ripening. This work aimed to evaluate OTA production by Aspergillus westerdijkiae inoculated on the surface of sausages and its diffusion into the product throughout ripening, study the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the production of this mycotoxin, and investigate the presence of OTA in dry fermented sausages that naturally present intense contamination by A. westerdijkiae. Italian-type sausages were surface inoculated with A. westerdijkiae and two distinct experiments were performed. In the first, the sausages were matured in a chamber with decreasing RH (from 95 to 75%) for 35 days. In the other, the sausages were incubated under different RH (79, 85 or 95%) for 21 days. Samples were taken at the beginning of the experiments and every 7 days, subdividing into casing, outer border, and core for analyses. Sausage samples naturally spoiled by ochratoxigenic fungi were collected during sanitary inspection. Even in the presence of A. westerdijkiae mycelia, no OTA was detected for up to 7 days of sausage maturation. On the other hand, this study demonstrated that the growth of A. westerdijkiae on salami surface produces high amounts of OTA on the casing and allows its diffusion through the casing with contamination to the outer border of sausages. In the same way, it shows that under similar water activity values of substrate, RH influences the amount of OTA produced. Conversely, OTA was restricted to the casing in the naturally contaminated sausages.

Sensitivity of food spoilage fungi to a smoke generator sanitizer.

Smoke generator sanitizers are easy to handle and can access to hard-to-reach places. They are a promising alternative for controlling food and air borne fungi, which are known to cause losses in the bakery, meat, and dairy industries. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of a smoke generator sanitizer based on orthophenylphenol against ten fungal species relevant to food spoilage. The tests were carried out according to the norms by the French protocol NF-T-72281, with adaptations specific for disinfectants diffused in the air. The tests were performed in an enclosed room of approximately 32 m3. Aspergillus brasiliensis (ATCC 16404), Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), Aspergillus flavus (ATCC 9643), Aspergillus chevalieri (IMI 211382), Cladosporium cladosporioides (IMI 158517), Lichtheima corymbifera (CCT 4485), Mucor hiemalis (CCT 4561), Penicillium commune (CCT 7683), Penicillium polonicum (NGT 33/12), and Penicillium roqueforti (IMI 217568) were exposed to the smoke generator sanitizer for 7 h. The product was efficient against C. albicans and C. cladosporioides, although it was unable to reduce 4 log of the other tested species. The variable sensitivity of the fungal species to the sanitizer emphasizes the importance of confronting a target microorganism (causing problems in a specific food industry) with the sanitizer aiming to control it and obtain satisfactory results in hygiene programs.

Incidence of spoilage fungi in the air of bakeries with different hygienic status.

This study aimed to determine the level of adequacy of bakeries to the requirements of good manufacturing practices (GMP) and the fungal contamination of the environmental air of these places, verifying the existence of a correlation between both. The checklist present in Ordinance No 78/2009 of good practices based on the current legislation was used to evaluate GMP adequacy and the contamination of environmental air was determined through the air sampling method. After the application of the checklist, it was observed that 75% (n = 15) of the bakeries evaluated were classified into group 2 (good) and 25% (n = 5) as group 3 (regular). On the other hand, only five (25%) and three (15%) bakeries presented values below of 300 CFU/m3 for the fungal contamination of air in food cooling and exposure areas, respectively. Fungi isolated from these areas were mainly species commonly reported as potential spoilers of bakery products. This study revealed that in spite of the evaluated bakeries presenting conditions considered "good" by the GMP, they presented, in most cases, high counts of fungi in the cooling and exposition areas for ready products. Only a weak correlation was found between the items of GMP and the load of airborne fungi present in the bakeries. More attention should be directed to hygienic aspects related to the microbiological quality of the air of bakeries, since these micro-organisms could contaminate the surface of freshly baked products, compromising the final quality of these foods, as well as prompt its early deterioration.

Fungi in spices and mycotoxigenic potential of some Aspergilli isolated.

The aim of this study was to identify fungal species present in 200 samples of rosemary, fennel, cinnamon, clove, pepperoni, black and white pepper and oregano and evaluate the mycotoxigenic potential of the some Aspergilli isolated. Clove, black and white peppers were analyzed by direct plating. For rosemary, cinnamon, fennel, pepperoni pepper and oregano samples were used spread plate. Mycotoxigenic capacity was verified by the agar plug method. With the exception of clove, all the spices showed high fungal contamination, especially by Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. and Cladosporium sp. Frequency of toxigenic Aspergillus spp. was intense in white and black peppers, with presence of Aspergillus flavus (up to 32%), Aspergillus nomius (up to 12%), Aspergillus parasiticus (up to 4%), Aspergillus niger complex (up to 52%), Aspergillus ochraceus (up 12%) and Aspergillus carbonarius (up to 4%). 14,2% of A. flavus isolated from black pepper were aflatoxins producers. In the white pepper, 66.7% of A. flavus isolates and 100% of A. nomius were aflatoxigenic. Oregano showed the highest number of A. niger complex isolates (49), however, only 2.04% produced ochratoxin A. This study showed a huge fungal presence in spices, which could compromise the sensorial quality of these products and represent a hazard for consumers.