Presence of a potentially toxigenic Penicillium species in wheat flour

Abstract

The most common contaminants of grain flour and their products are molds. Values of wheat and grain flour water activity (aw,) in most cases, range between 0.70 and 0.86, which allows an optimal growth for xeriphile molds, including Penicillium species. Some of them synthesize and excrete secondary metabolites, mycotoxins with different level of toxicity, into the substrate. The aim of this study was to determine presence of potentially toxigenic Penicillium species in buckwheat, corn and rice flour. Penicillium species are isolated from all the samples of flour. Eight Penicillium species were determined: Penicillium aurantiogriseum, P.expansum, P. chrysogenum, P. commune, P. griseofulvum, P. glabrum, P. rugulosum and P. oxalicum. The isolated Penicillium species are potentially toxigenic. Among the isolated Penicillium species P. aurantiogriseum and P. expansum were the most dominant species with a total frequency of appearance of more than 40%.

Keywords

• flour
• molds
• penicillium species
• p. aurantiogriseum
• p. expansum