Abstract
Aspergillus carbonarius and A. niger aggregate are the main fungal contaminants of table grapes. Besides their ability to cause black rot, they can produce ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin that has attracted increasing attention worldwide. The objective of this work was to set up a simple and rapid molecular method for the early detection of both fungi in table grapes before fungal development becomes evident. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays were developed by designing species-specific primers based on the polyketide synthases (PKS(S)) sequences of A. carbonarius and A. niger that have recently been demonstrated to be involved in OTA biosynthesis. Three table grape varieties (Red globe, Crimson seedless, and Italia) were inoculated with A. carbonarius and A. niger aggregate strains producing OTA. The extracted DNA from control (non-inoculated) and inoculated grapes was amplified by PCR using ACPKS2F-ACPKS2R for A. carbonarius and ANPKS5-ANPKS6 for A. niger aggregate. Both primers allowed a clear detection, even in symptomless samples. PCR-based methods are considered to be a good alternative to traditional diagnostic means for the early detection of fungi in complex matrix for their high specificity and sensitivity. The results obtained could be useful for the definition of a 'quality label' for tested grapes to improve the safety measures taken to guarantee the production of fresh table grapes.
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The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 3
Claim · model-written summary
The species-specific primers clearly detected A. carbonarius in table grapes, including symptomless samples.
- Taxon
- table grapese2
- Interactor
- A. carbonariusAspergillus carbonariuse1pathogen
- Outcome
- clear detectione0
- Qualifier
- symptomless samplese0
Not reportedComparatorValue
Verbatim
e0“Both primers allowed a clear detection, even in symptomless samples.”
e1“ACPKS2F-ACPKS2R for A. carbonarius”
e2“fungal contaminants of table grapes”
Claim · model-written summary
The species-specific primers clearly detected A. niger aggregate in table grapes, including symptomless samples.
- Taxon
- table grapese2
- Interactor
- A. niger aggregate
Aspergillus nigere1pathogen - Outcome
- clear detectione0
- Qualifier
- symptomless samplese0
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both primers allowed a clear detection, even in symptomless samples.”
e1“ANPKS5-ANPKS6 for A. niger aggregate”
e2“fungal contaminants of table grapes”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest the detection results could inform a quality label for tested grapes.
Verbatim
e0“The results obtained could be useful for the definition of a 'quality label' for tested grapes”