In Vitro Biological Control of <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> by <i>Hanseniaspora opuntiae</i> L479 and <i>Hanseniaspora uvarum</i> L793, Producers of Antifungal Volatile Organic Compounds

• Main Authors: Paula Tejero, Alberto Martín, Alicia Rodríguez, Ana Isabel Galván, Santiago Ruiz-Moyano, Alejandro Hernández
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Toxins
• Subjects: relative gene expression; aflatoxin production; antagonism; antifungal volatile esters
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/13/9/663

<i>Aspergillus flavus</i> is a toxigenic fungal colonizer of fruits and cereals and may produce one of the most important mycotoxins from a food safety perspective, aflatoxins. Therefore, its growth and mycotoxin production should be effectively avoided to protect consumers’ health. Among the safe and green antifungal strategies that can be applied in the field, biocontrol is a recent and emerging strategy that needs to be explored. Yeasts are normally good biocontrol candidates to minimize mold-related hazards and their modes of action are numerous, one of them being the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To this end, the influence of VOCs produced by <i>Hanseniaspora opuntiae</i> L479 and <i>Hanseniaspora uvarum</i> L793 on growth, expression of the regulatory gene of the aflatoxin pathway (<i>aflR)</i> and mycotoxin production by <i>A. </i><i>flavus</i> for 21 days was assessed. The results showed that both yeasts, despite producing different kinds of VOCs, had a similar effect on inhibiting growth, mycotoxin biosynthetic gene expression and phenotypic toxin production overall at the mid-incubation period when their synthesis was the greatest. Based on the results, both yeast strains, <i>H. opuntiae</i> L479 and <i>H. uvarum</i> L793, are potentially suitable as a biopreservative agents for inhibiting the growth of <i>A. flavus</i> and reducing aflatoxin accumulation.