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Patulin is a mycotoxin produced primarily by Penicillium expansum, a mold responsible for rot in apples and other fruits. The growth of this fungus and the production of patulin are common in fruit that has been damaged. However, patulin can be detected in visibly sound fruit. The purpose of this project was to determine how apple quality, storage, and washing treatments affect patulin levels in apple cider. Patulin was not detected in cider pressed from fresh tree-picked apples (seven cultivars) but was found at levels of 40.2 to 374 microg/liter in cider pressed from four cultivars of fresh ground-harvested (dropped) apples. Patulin was not detected in cider pressed from culled tree-picked apples stored for 4 to 6 weeks at 0 to 2 degrees C but was found at levels of 0.97 to 64.0 microg/liter in cider pressed from unculled fruit stored under the same conditions. Cider from controlled-atmosphere-stored apples that were culled before pressing contained 0 to 15.1 microg of patulin per liter, while cider made from unculled fruit contained 59.9 to 120.5 microg of patulin per liter. The washing of ground-harvested apples before pressing reduced patulin levels in cider by 10 to 100%, depending on the initial patulin levels and the type of wash solution used. These results indicate that patulin is a good indicator of the quality of the apples used to manufacture cider. The avoidance of ground-harvested apples and the careful culling of apples before pressing are good methods for reducing patulin levels in cider.

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced primarily by Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium proliferatum in corn. In liquid culture, production of fumonisin B1 (FB1), the most common moiety of the family of fumonisins, can be obtained using a defined medium that is nitrogen-limited. Under nitrogen-limited conditions both growth and the production of FB1 were greatly influenced by pH and aeration. At pH above 5.0, F. proliferatum grew normally but produced little FB1 (< 100 micrograms m-1). At pH below 5.0, there was less growth but substantially more FB1. Below a pH of 2.5, both growth and metabolism were slower with very little FB1 produced. When the optimal pH range of between 3.0 and 4.0 under well-aerated conditions was used, both growth and FB1 production were high. However, under oxygen-limited conditions, less growth occurred, glucose consumption was increased, and no FB1 was produced.