Search results for " Alternaria"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Fungal Contaminants and Mycotoxins in Nuts
2021
Contamination by fungi and mycotoxins in nuts has achieved much attention in recent years. In fact, the fungal metabolites produced by the species of Aspergillus, Penicillium (aflatoxins and ochratoxins), Fusarium (trichothecenes, zearalenones and fumonisins) and Alternaria (alternariotoxins) with toxic and/or carcinogenic effects are considered a threat to human and animal health. In this chapter we will discuss the main fungal taxa and related mycotoxins most frequently associated with these materials. In this regard, the first results on the level of contamination by fungi and mycotoxins in samples of almonds and pistachios of different origins will be reported. The main strategies to re…
Phylogeny and Mycotoxin Characterization of Alternaria Species Isolated from Wheat Grown in Tuscany, Italy
2018
Wheat, the main source of carbohydrates worldwide, can be attacked by a wide number of phytopathogenic fungi, included Alternaria species. Alternaria species commonly occur on wheat worldwide and produce several mycotoxins such as tenuazonic acid (TA), alternariol (AOH), alternariol-monomethyl ether (AME), and altenuene (ALT), provided of haemato-toxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic activities. The contamination by Alternaria species of wheat kernels, collected in Tuscany, Italy, from 2013 to 2016, was evaluated. Alternaria contamination was detected in 93 out of 100 field samples, with values ranging between 1 and 73% (mean of 18%). Selected strains were genetically characterized by multi-locus…
Characterization of Alternaria alternata Isolates from Tangerine Hybrids Affected by Brown Spot in Italy
2011
Alternaria brown spot, caused by Alternaria alternata, is the most important disease of tangerines and their hybrids worldwide, including Italy. The disease represents, for some susceptible citrus cultivar, a limiting factor in profitable cultivation. The results of the characterization of A. alternata isolates obtained from lesions on leaves and fruits of Fortune, Nova and Winola hybrids and Valencia sweet orange, collected in two groves located in Calabria and Sicily, is reported. An endopolygalacturonase gene (endoPG) was sequenced from five representative strains and a phylogenetic tree based on endoPG sequence data of Italian isolates and those of citrus associated Alternaria species d…
Citrus biotechnology
2020
Agricultural crops that can better withstand the changing climatic and pathogen landscape have been produced through natural selection throughout the millennia and, in recent years, through the process of human-assisted plant breeding and selection. However, a lack of genetic diversity in many commercially cultivated crops (due to monoculture) has made them more vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses (Esquinas-Alcazar, 2005; Keneni et al., 2012). Citrus, belonging to the Rutaceae family, is one of the most important commercial woody fruit crops in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The origin of citrus is traced back to parts of tropical and subtropical Southeast Asia (Wu e…
The Effect of Outdoor Aeroallergens on Asthma Hospitalizations in Children in North-Western Tuscany, Italy.
2022
Few data are currently available on the effects of aeroallergens in triggering respiratory symptoms in children. To evaluate the potential effects of daily outdoor aeroallergens loads on childhood admissions, in this case-crossover study, we analyzed data from 85 children hospitalized at the University Hospital of Pisa, Italy, for asthma or asthma-like symptoms without respiratory infection, between 2010 and 2019. Data were linked to outdoor allergens, temperature, nitrogen dioxide, and relative humidity observed during the same period. A 10-grains/m3 increase in the total aeroallergen concentration was associated with an increased risk of admission at lag 0 (OR = 1.054, 95% CI: 1.011&ndash…
Contamination of fresh and dried tomato by Alternaria toxins in southern Italy.
2019
In the present investigation, fresh and dried tomato samples from markets and packinghouses located in Apulia region (southern Italy) were analysed for Alternaria toxins. All samples proved to be contaminated by tenuazonic acid (TeA); in particular, dried tomatoes were contaminated in the range 425-81,592 µg/kg, while fresh tomatoes were in the range 11-4560 µg/kg. The second most abundant toxin was alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), followed by tentoxin (TEN) and alternariol (AOH). Overall dried tomatoes were more contaminated than fresh ones, although this seemed not directly related to the presence of sodium chloride, utilized in the drying process. Five representative Alternaria isolat…