Control of potentially ochratoxin A-producing black aspergilli in stored peanut system using food-grade antioxidants

PASSONE, M.A.; RESNIK, S.L.; ETCHEVERRY, M.G.

Estambul, Turquía

Congreso; XII International IUPAC Symposium on Mycotoxin and Phycotoxins; 2007

Tubitak

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important crop in Argentina commercialized principally for human consumption. Ochratoxin A (OTA) mean levels in stored peanut seed in Argentina were from < 0.5 to 170 ppb. Therefore the aim of this work was to determine the effect of food grade antioxidants (butylated hydroxyanisole-BHA, butylated hydroxytoluene-BHT, propyl paraben-PP) on Aspergillus section Nigri from stored peanut during five months. Five experimental containers were filled with 200 Kg of bulk peanut. Four of them were treated with BHA (10 mM) S2, BHA-PP mixture (10 + 10 mM) S3 and BHA-PP-BHT mixtures (10 + 5 + 10 mM) S4 and (10 + 10 + 10 mM) S5. Statistically significant differences occurred when antioxidant treatments and tissues interactions were compared with the frequency data for species from section Nigri. A. niger var niger was isolated in higher frequency (P<0.001) than A. niger var awamorii, A. foetidus and A. japonicus var japonicus. Black aspergilli counts from peanut treated with BHA-PP and BHA-PP-BHT mixtures were significantly reduced. Mean counts of species from section Nigri from control pod tissues (5.03 x 103 CFU g-1) was higher than from the silos treated with S3 (2.3 x 103 CFU g-1), S4 (4.4 x 102 CFU g-1) and S5 mixtures (5.0 x102 CFU g-1). These additive mixtures reduced propagules count in the order of 95, 88 and 93%. The application of food-grade antioxidant mixtures BHA-PP and BHA-PP-BHT at stored peanut level could reduce the human exposure to OTA by inhibiting potentially OTA-producing aspergilli.