Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)

Carob flour is obtained from pods of some species of Prosopis, leguminous trees that abound in many desert habitats worldwide. Currently, this product is available in healthy food stores in several countries, including Argentina, as a nontraditional meal of growing interest with multiple application...

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Autores principales: Mom, María Pía, Romero, Stella Maris, Larumbe, Ada Gabriela, Iannone, Leopoldo, Comerio, Ricardo Mario, Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad, Simón, Mariano, Vaamonde, Graciela
Formato: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/7577
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168160520301495
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108655
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author Mom, María Pía
Romero, Stella Maris
Larumbe, Ada Gabriela
Iannone, Leopoldo
Comerio, Ricardo Mario
Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad
Simón, Mariano
Vaamonde, Graciela
author_browse Comerio, Ricardo Mario
Iannone, Leopoldo
Larumbe, Ada Gabriela
Mom, María Pía
Romero, Stella Maris
Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad
Simón, Mariano
Vaamonde, Graciela
author_facet Mom, María Pía
Romero, Stella Maris
Larumbe, Ada Gabriela
Iannone, Leopoldo
Comerio, Ricardo Mario
Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad
Simón, Mariano
Vaamonde, Graciela
author_sort Mom, María Pía
collection INTA Digital
description Carob flour is obtained from pods of some species of Prosopis, leguminous trees that abound in many desert habitats worldwide. Currently, this product is available in healthy food stores in several countries, including Argentina, as a nontraditional meal of growing interest with multiple applications for the preparation of puddings, biscuits and snacks, among others. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the microbial quality of carob flour on basis of the presence of deteriorative and pathogenic microorganisms. Fungal diversity of the mycobiota was also studied with a special interest in toxigenic fungi. Eighteen samples of carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa) were analysed. Standard plate count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria showed levels of contamination ranging from <102 (estimative) to 6.8 × 105 CFU/g; total coliforms from <102 (estimative) to 4.7 × 105 CFU/g; moulds and yeasts from 2.1 × 102 to 8.1 × 104. In all samples, the absence of Salmonella sp. was verified in 25 g and counts of Bacillus cereus less than 102 were observed. These results indicate that from the safety point of view the carob flour studied does not have a significant microbial load. Regarding to fungal contamination, Aspergillus and Penicillium were the genera more diverse in species and were present in all the samples. Some of the species identified were potential mycotoxins producers. Among the most frequently detected species in the studied mycobiota were the Aspergillus of the Flavi section, well recognized as potential aflatoxin producers. The A. flavus species was one of the most widely distributed, since it was detected in almost all samples. A. parasiticus and A. arachidicola were found more sporadically. Aflatoxins analysis demonstrated that a high proportion of the samples were contaminated with aflatoxins in concentrations relatively low, ranging from 1.26 to 20.33 μg/kg of total aflatoxins. Type G aflatoxins are much less frequent contaminants than type B aflatoxins, which is consistent with the fact that A. parasiticus and A. arachidicola (producers of type B and G aflatoxins) were detected sporadically, while A. flavus, which produces aflatoxins B1 and B2, was present in a high number of samples. Results of the present work indicate that carob flour is susceptible to Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxin contamination and should be subjected to aflatoxin monitoring prior to marketing as required for other traditional crops.
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spelling INTA75772020-07-20T13:16:51Z Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa) Mom, María Pía Romero, Stella Maris Larumbe, Ada Gabriela Iannone, Leopoldo Comerio, Ricardo Mario Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad Simón, Mariano Vaamonde, Graciela Prosopis Algarroba Aflatoxinas Aspergillus Micotoxinas Calidad de los Alimentos Carobs Aflatoxins Mycotoxins Food Quality Prosopis flexuosa Harina de Algarroba Carob Flour Carob flour is obtained from pods of some species of Prosopis, leguminous trees that abound in many desert habitats worldwide. Currently, this product is available in healthy food stores in several countries, including Argentina, as a nontraditional meal of growing interest with multiple applications for the preparation of puddings, biscuits and snacks, among others. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the microbial quality of carob flour on basis of the presence of deteriorative and pathogenic microorganisms. Fungal diversity of the mycobiota was also studied with a special interest in toxigenic fungi. Eighteen samples of carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa) were analysed. Standard plate count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria showed levels of contamination ranging from <102 (estimative) to 6.8 × 105 CFU/g; total coliforms from <102 (estimative) to 4.7 × 105 CFU/g; moulds and yeasts from 2.1 × 102 to 8.1 × 104. In all samples, the absence of Salmonella sp. was verified in 25 g and counts of Bacillus cereus less than 102 were observed. These results indicate that from the safety point of view the carob flour studied does not have a significant microbial load. Regarding to fungal contamination, Aspergillus and Penicillium were the genera more diverse in species and were present in all the samples. Some of the species identified were potential mycotoxins producers. Among the most frequently detected species in the studied mycobiota were the Aspergillus of the Flavi section, well recognized as potential aflatoxin producers. The A. flavus species was one of the most widely distributed, since it was detected in almost all samples. A. parasiticus and A. arachidicola were found more sporadically. Aflatoxins analysis demonstrated that a high proportion of the samples were contaminated with aflatoxins in concentrations relatively low, ranging from 1.26 to 20.33 μg/kg of total aflatoxins. Type G aflatoxins are much less frequent contaminants than type B aflatoxins, which is consistent with the fact that A. parasiticus and A. arachidicola (producers of type B and G aflatoxins) were detected sporadically, while A. flavus, which produces aflatoxins B1 and B2, was present in a high number of samples. Results of the present work indicate that carob flour is susceptible to Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxin contamination and should be subjected to aflatoxin monitoring prior to marketing as required for other traditional crops. EEA Anguil Fil: Mom, María Pía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Romero, Stella Maris. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Larumbe, Ada Gabriela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Iannone, Leopoldo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Comerio, Ricardo Mario. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil; Argentina Fil: Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; Argentina Fil: Simón, Mariano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; Argentina Fil: Vaamonde, Graciela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina 2020-07-20T13:12:46Z 2020-07-20T13:12:46Z 2020 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/7577 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168160520301495 0168-1605 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108655 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf Elsevier International Journal of Food Microbiology 326 : 108655 (August 2020)
spellingShingle Prosopis
Algarroba
Aflatoxinas
Aspergillus
Micotoxinas
Calidad de los Alimentos
Carobs
Aflatoxins
Mycotoxins
Food Quality
Prosopis flexuosa
Harina de Algarroba
Carob Flour
Mom, María Pía
Romero, Stella Maris
Larumbe, Ada Gabriela
Iannone, Leopoldo
Comerio, Ricardo Mario
Santana Smersu, Camila Soledad
Simón, Mariano
Vaamonde, Graciela
Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)
title Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)
title_full Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)
title_fullStr Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)
title_full_unstemmed Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)
title_short Microbiological quality, fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour (Prosopis flexuosa)
title_sort microbiological quality fungal diversity and aflatoxins contamination in carob flour prosopis flexuosa
topic Prosopis
Algarroba
Aflatoxinas
Aspergillus
Micotoxinas
Calidad de los Alimentos
Carobs
Aflatoxins
Mycotoxins
Food Quality
Prosopis flexuosa
Harina de Algarroba
Carob Flour
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/7577
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168160520301495
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108655
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