Incidence of toxigenic fungi in grapes for wine production

VARGAS, A.; QUEVEDO, F.; FERNÁNDEZ PINTO, V.; PATRIARCA, A.

Mendoza

Congreso; 37th World Congress of Vine and Wine; 2014

Toxigenic fungi can colonize crops and when agro-meteorological conditions are favorable for its development can cause huge economic losses due to deterioration and mycotoxin accumulation. The Argentina Republic has 2.9% of the global surface for the production of grapes, being considered the eighth largest producer of wine in the world (2012). The Rio Negro Province is located in the Patagonian region of the country, with a current production of 80.08 quintals of grapes for wine production, being the seventh producing region in the country. They are at present very little data on the incidence of toxigenic fungi in grapes grown in the Patagonia in Argentina. The objective of the research was to isolate and identify potentially toxigenic fungi isolated from grapes grown in the province of Rio Negro, Argentina. Ten samples of Malbec grapes from the vineyards of the localities of Villa Azul and Maique in Rio Negro Province were obtained. The species identification of isolates that were potential toxins producers was performed. Alternaria isolates were identified on Potato Carrot Agar (PZA) according Simmons (2007) as species belonging to the group species A. alternata (5), A. arborescens (5) and A. tenuissima (85) (potential producers of alternariol, alternariol methyl ether, tenuazonic acid and toxins AAL). Isolates belonging to the genus Penicillium, were identified as Pitt and Hocking, 1997; Samson et al. 2010; and Samson et al. 2002 as P. expansum (50) (patulin potential producers).