Optimizing sweet potato production: insights into the interplay of plant sanitation, virus influence, and cooking techniques for enhanced crop quality and food security.

This study investigates the impact of sweet potato plant sanitation on the yield and external and internal quality root storage exploring the nutritional content affected by various cooking methods (raw, boiled, and oven-cooked). The presence of viruses, and concretely of the sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV), in sweet potato propagation material is shown to significantly reduce yield and modify storage root quality. Notably, the research reveals a substantial improvement in crop yield and external quality, reinforcing the efficacy of plant sanitation methods, specifically apical meristem culture, in preserving the overall productivity of sweet potato crops.

Influence of temperature, water activity and incubation time on fungal growth and production of ochratoxin A and zearalenone by toxigenic Aspergillus tubingensis and Fusarium incarnatum isolates in sorghum seeds.

The major objective of this study was to describe the effect of water activity and temperature on radial growth and production of ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA) on sorghum grains of three Aspergillus tubingensis and three Fusarium incarnatum isolates. The water activity range was 0.91-0.

Effects of temperature, water activity and incubation time on fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 production by toxinogenic Aspergillus flavus isolates on sorghum seeds.

Sorghum, which is consumed in Tunisia as human food, suffers from severe colonization by several toxigenic fungi and contamination by mycotoxins. The Tunisian climate is characterized by high temperature and humidity that stimulates mold proliferation and mycotoxin accumulation in foodstuffs. This study investigated the effects of temperature (15, 25 and 37°C), water activity (aw, between 0.

Effect of ultraviolet radiation A and B on growth and mycotoxin production by Aspergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus parasiticus in grape and pistachio media.

The effects of two exposure times per day (6 and 16 h) of UV-A or UV-B radiation, combined with dark and dark plus light incubation periods during 7-21 d on fungal growth and mycotoxins production of Aspergillus species were studied. Aspergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus parasiticus were inoculated on grape and pistachio media under diurnal and nocturnal temperatures choosing light photoperiod according to harvest conditions of these crops in Spain. Ultraviolet irradiation had a significant effect on A.

Fungal diversity, incidence and mycotoxin contamination in grapes from two agro-climatic Spanish regions with emphasis on Aspergillus species.

Background: Fourteen vineyards from two different agro-climatic regions in Spain were sampled in two consecutive years in order to determinate the grape mycobiota and diversity indexes with the final aim to define the potential mycotoxigenic species from both regions and their relationship.

Results: The most common fungal genera encountered were Aspergillus (30.0%), Alternaria (53.

Development of PMA real-time PCR method to quantify viable cells of Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2, an antagonist to control the major postharvest diseases on oranges.

Dilution plating is the quantification method commonly used to estimate the population level of postharvest biocontrol agents, but this method does not permit a distinction among introduced and indigenous strains. Recently, molecular techniques based on DNA amplification such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) have been successfully applied for their high strain-specific detection level. However, the ability of qPCR to distinguish viable and nonviable cells is limited.

Propidium monoazide combined with real-time quantitative PCR to quantify viable Alternaria spp. contamination in tomato products.

Alternaria is a common contaminating genus of fungi in fruits, grains, and vegetables that causes severe economic losses to farmers and the food industry. Furthermore, it is claimed that Alternaria spp. are able to produce phytotoxic metabolites, and mycotoxins that are unsafe for human and animal health.