Abstract:
Among post-harvest pathogens of apples, Penicillium expansum is considered one of
themost common fungal pathogens worldwide. It is the causal agent of blue rot, the main post
harvestdisease of apples. This pathogen is also the main producer of patulin; the mycotoxin commonly
found in fruit in general and apples and apple products in particular. Because of its high resistance to
chemical treatment at high temperatures and its stability in acidic environments, patulin persists
throughout the production chain right up to the finished product, and presents a real danger to human
and animal health. The aim of this project is therefore to characterize and identify the patulin molecule
produced in vitro by three strains of Penicillium expansum, isolated from apples grown in eastern
Algeria, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Methods: In vitro patulin production was achieved by liquid fermentation on YES medium at
25°C. Liquid-liquid extraction of secondary metabolites with ethyl acetate yielded various crude
extracts.
Results and discussion: Following GC-MS analysis, the presence of patulin was indicated by
chromatograms appearing at the same retention time as the patulin standard. This technique also
provided structural information on this mycotoxin. GC-MS results confirmed the ability of all three
Penicillium expansum strains to produce patulin in YES liquid culture media.
Conclusion: According to these results, it was concluded that apples produced in eastern Algeria
are contaminated with mycotoxigenic Penicillium expansum strains able to produce Patuline, which
represents a real risk of mycotoxicosis caused by the ingestion of apples- based food contaminated by
this mycotoxin
