Molecular analysis of Aspergillus section Flavi isolated from Brazil nuts

Brazil nuts are an important export market in its main producing countries, including Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Approximately 30,000 tons of Brazil nuts are harvested each year. However, substantial nut contamination by Aspergillus section Flavi occurs with subsequent production of aflatoxins. In o...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Gonçalves, Juliana Soares; et al.
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Estado:Published version
Data de publicação:2012
País:Brasil
Recursos:ITAL
Repositório:Repositório do Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos
Idioma:Inglês
OAI Identifier:oai:http://repositorio.ital.sp.gov.br:123456789/531
Acesso em linha:http://repositorio.ital.sp.gov.br/jspui/handle/123456789/531
Nível de acesso:Acesso aberto
Palavra-chave:Aflatoxin production
Aspergillus section Flavi
Descrição
Resumo:Brazil nuts are an important export market in its main producing countries, including Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Approximately 30,000 tons of Brazil nuts are harvested each year. However, substantial nut contamination by Aspergillus section Flavi occurs with subsequent production of aflatoxins. In our study, Aspergillus section Flavi were isolated from Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), and identified by morphological and molecular means. We obtained 241 isolates from nut samples, 41% positive for aflatoxin production. Eighty-one isolates were selected for molecular investigation. Pairwise genetic distances among isolates and phylogenetic relationships were assessed. The following Aspergillus species were identified: A. flavus, A. caelatus, A. nomius, A. tamarii, A. bombycis, and A. arachidicola. Additionally, molecular profiles indicated a high level of nucleotide variation within b-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences associated with high genetic divergence from RAPD data. Among the 81 isolates analyzed by molecular means, three of them were phylogenetically distinct from all other isolates representing the six species of section Flavi. A putative novel species was identified based on molecular profiles.