Fungi in cake production chain: Occurrence and evaluation of growth potential in different cake formulations during storage.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and populations of fungi in cake production chain. Besides, the growth potential of twelve fungal strains in different cake formulations was evaluated. Raw materials from two different batches (n=143), chocolate cakes (n=30), orange cakes (n=20), and processing environment air samples (n=147) were analyzed. Among the raw materials, wheat flour (3.2±0.3 log CFU per g) and corn meal (3.8±0.8 log CFU per g) belonging to batch #1 showed significant higher fungal counts (p<0.05). The fungal counts in the processing environment air reached up to 2.56 log CFU per m (p<0.05). The predominant fungi species in the industrialized cakes were Aspergillus flavus (28.15%), Penicillium citrinum (18.45%), Penicillium paxilli (14.56%), and Aspergillus niger (6.8%), which were also detected in the raw materials and processing environment air. Only Penicillium glabrum and Penicillium citrinum showed visible mycelium (>3mm) in the free of preservative cake formulation at 19th and 44th days of storage at 25°C, respectively. Revealing the biodiversity of fungi in ingredients, air and final products, as well as challenging final products with representative fungal strains may assist to implement effective controlling measures as well as to gather data for the development of more robust cake formulations.