Influence of the region of origin on the mycobiota of grapes with emphasis on Aspergillus and Penicillium species

Abstract

A three-year study was undertaken to investigate the fungal species present on the surface of grape berries from Portuguese vineyards in four winemaking regions. Emphasis was given to Aspergillus and Penicillium species due to their relevance for mycotoxin production. From the 3517 fungal strains detected 27 genera were identified. The region of origin markedly influenced the spoilage fungal population to which berries are exposed. The main differences found were in the incidence of A. niger aggregate, Botryis cinerea and Penicillium species (P. brevicompactum, P. citrinum, P. glabrum/spinulosum, P. expansum, P. implicatum and P. thomii). In more humid climates, Botrytis seems to be the main pathogen and spoiling agent, and the incidence of black Aspergillus is minimal. The most important mycotoxin-producing species found was A. carbonarius, which is an ochratoxin A producer. The present study provides a detailed description of the fungi found on the berry surface of Portuguese grapes and shows the Aspergillus and Penicillium species, which vary significantly by geographic origin. This is of crucial importance to understand fungal hazards for grapes and wine and to the knowledge of field ecology of the species.

Ochratoxin A and ochratoxigenic black Aspergillus species in Tunisian grapes cultivated in different geographic areas

“…It was observed that wines from Southern Europe and North Africa, with Mediterranean climates, contained more OTA than those originating from the more temperate regions of central Europe (Otteneder & Majerus, 2000;Zimmerli & Dick, 1996). In fact, it was found that climate has an effect on the occurrence of OTA and OTAproducing fungi in grapes (Battilani, Barbano et al, 2006;Battilani, Magan, & Logdrieco, 2006;Serra, Analia, Pedro, & Venacio, 2006). The aim of this work was to survey the occurrence of OTA and to identify the ochratoxigenic moulds in Tunisian vineyards located in different viticultural regions of Tunisia with singular climate.…”

Determination of mycotoxin profiles characteristic ofAlternariastrains isolated from Malbec grapes

“…The incidence of Alternaria in grapes has been reported in different percentages with respect to total mycobiota: 5-23% in USA, 25% in Italy, 80% in Argentina; 3-18%, 24%, 17% in different studies in Portugal, 75%, 3-58%, 13% in Spain, and A. alternata and A. tenuissima were reported in 16-19% in Slovakia [7,8,13,15,24,25,[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42].…”

“…A wide variety of Alternaria strains was isolated from different hosts including grapes [3][4][5][6]. Species such as Alternaria alternata, A. arborescens and A. tenuissima have frequently been isolated from grapes during development in the vineyard or postharvest storage [4,[7][8][9].…”

“…The mycobiota frequently isolated from grapes includes the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Botrytis and Fusarium [7,8,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

Microfungi and Mycotoxins of Grapes From Eastern Slovak Wine Region

“…The concern about filamentous fungi in the vineyard has traditionally been linked to spoilage of grapes due to fungal growth. Two main genera are responsible for mycotoxin production in grapes: Aspergillus and Penicillium, but Aspergillus are important in hot and dry climates, where black Aspergillus, namely A. carbonarius, can lead to achratoxin A production in grapes (Serra et al, 2006). The mycotoxin production is characteristic of the species and therefore by identifying the species one can predict potential mycotoxin hazards.…”