engleski

Toxigenic moulds growing on the surface of traditional Croatian household-produced dry-fermented sausages

Household production of dry-fermented sausages is characterised by the presence of wild-type moulds that spontaneously overgrow the product surface ; some of these moulds can produce mycotoxins that affect final products’ quality and safety. Surface moulds were investigated in thirty-five samples of four different types of traditional household-produced dry-fermented sausages. They were identified using a traditional method of depiction of macroscopic and microscopic morphological characteristics and corroborated using a molecular method of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), beta-tubulin (benA) and calmodulin (CaM) loci sequencing. Moulds of the Penicillium genus were present in more isolates (85%) than those of the Aspergillus genus (15%) and exhibited a greater species diversity, since eight Penicillium and four Aspergillus species were identified. This is to be attributed to the greater ability of the Penicillium species to grow at low and moderate temperatures at which sausages are ripened. Out of the identified mould species, four species are known as mycotoxin- producers, in specific Penicillium commune as cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) producers, Penicillium citrinum as citrinin (CIT) producer, Aspergillus flavus as aflatoxins and CPA producer and Aspergillus niger as ochratoxin A (OTA) producer. Aflatoxin B1 and OTA are of the greatest public health concern, while other mycotoxins, such as CPA and CIT, haven’t been thoroughly investigated yet. Impact factors that affect mould and mycotoxin contamination in each traditional sausages’ processing stage should be investigated together with the occurrence of underexplored mycotoxins.

meat products ; traditional sausages ; moulds identification ; mycotoxins

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