Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2018, 66(4), 927-937 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun201866040927

Molecular Detection of Fungi in Paprika, Chili Powder and Black Pepper

Tomáš Vyhnánek1, Pavel Hanáček1, Ivana Šafránková2, Biljana Đorđević1, Helena Beranová1, Václav Trojan1, Ladislav Havel1
1 Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
2 Department of Crop Science, Breeding and Plant Medicine, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Paprika powder, chili powder, and black pepper are among the most frequently used spices in the world. The Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions were identified by high sequence similarity with the ITS regions of many microscopic fungi, especially representatives of the phylum Ascomycota, from 18 different spice samples that were examined. However, supplied quality certificates indicated that 10 of the 18 samples had no contamination present and were safe for human consumption. The various genera of fungi that were identified from the spices are considered to be a food safety concern as they are able to produce mycotoxins. Qualitative detection was supplemented by positive detection of viable fungal DNA using qPCR for the genera Aspergillus/Penicillium in two paprika powder and black pepper samples. These results concurred with the control analysis using axenic cultures. The described methods can be used for routine testing of spices to provide safe spices and other products to consumers.

Keywords: contamination, DNA analysis, identification, spices
Grants and funding:

This work was supported by sub-project No. TG012016 TACR GAMA TG02010074.

Published: August 31, 2018  Show citation

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Vyhnánek, T., Hanáček, P., Šafránková, I., Đorđević, B., Beranová, H., Trojan, V., & Havel, L. (2018). Molecular Detection of Fungi in Paprika, Chili Powder and Black Pepper. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 66(4), 927-937. doi: 10.11118/actaun201866040927
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