A study on the occurrence of Aspergillus section Nigri species on grapes from four traditional grape-producing areas in Greece during the 2011/2012 vintage, and their capability to produce OTA was conducted. One hundred and twenty-eight black aspergilli isolates were characterised at the species level initially by the use of morphological criteria in accordance with appropriate keys, followed b...

The present work was carried out to study the mycobiota of cocoa beans from farm to chocolate. Four hundred and ninety-four samples were analyzed at various stages of cocoa processing: (i) primary stage at the farm (fermentation, drying, and storage), (ii) secondary stage at processing (testa, nibs, liquor, butter, cake and powder) and (iii) the final chocolate product (dark, milk, white and po...

Ten fungal isolates from coffee beans were morphologically identified as Aspergillus niger, A. ochraceus and A. carbonari-us (N = 5, 3, and 2, respectively). Only one isolate, morphologically identified as A. niger, was unable to produce ochratoxin A (OTA). This may be a new species in the Aspergillus section Nigri. OTA levels in all the other isolates were above the limit of detection (0.15 mg...

Phyto-oxylipins are a group of biologically active molecules that play an important role in plant defence. Their production begins with the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by lipoxygenases (LOX) to form 9- or 13-hydroperoxides that are substrates for several enzymes involved in the synthesis of final oxylipins, which can act as signal molecules and/or direct antimicrobials. In the pr...

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the essential oil of Thymus serpyllum L. and of its components thymol and total phenols (total phenolic content, TPC) extracted from the plant on the growth and mycotoxin production of Aspergillus ochraceus, A. carbonarius, and A. niger. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determined for the essential oil and thymol, and selected concentr...

This study investigated the efficacy of ultraviolet-C (254 nm) and induced stilbenes to inhibit Aspergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus tubingensis and control ochratoxin A production in grapes. In addition, the stilbene synthesis as a response to UV-C treatment and to infection of ochratoxigenic Aspergillus was compared. The initial microbial inactivation by a previously optimized UV-C illumin...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine is linked to contamination by several Aspergillus species. In 2003-2007, grape samples collected in Italy were surveyed for the presence of OTA and OTA-producing fungi. A. niger aggregate was the prevalent species. A. carbonarius, which is considered the main source of OTA in grapes, was mostly found in Southern Italy. The year and the environment had an important inf...