Contamination of fruit and berry products with mycotoxigenic mold fungi
Authors: Minaeva Lyudmila P. , Evsjukova Alena D. , Koltsov Vladimir A. , Zhidekhina Tatiana V. , Sedova Irina B. , Chalyy Zakhar A. , Efimochkina Natalia R. , Sheveleva Svetlana A. 
Published: April 2023

Introduction. To assess the risk of exposure to mycotoxins contaminating fruit and berry products, it is necessary, as a mandatory step, to identify mold fungi growing on fruits, determine their levels and conditions that contribute to the formation of their toxigenic potential. This is relevant in relation to the group of such food products as fresh berries and fruits until now little studied in this aspect -.
Materials and methods. Contamination of berries and fruits with mold fungi was studied by cultural methods with micro- and macromorphological identification of species. Mycotoxins (MT) were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS in multi-detection format (28 MT).
Results. In eighty seven samples of berries and fruits without signs of deterioration, there were studied the species composition of mycoflora, its quantitative levels and the content of MT. In most samples (80%), the mold content and total microbial contamination did not exceed the established standard values for similar processed fruit and berry products (quick frozen). The samples of strawberry were the most contaminated, the least - plum and dogwood. Analysis of the taxonomic composition of the epiphytic mycoflora showed the dominance of fungi of the genus Alternaria (gooseberry, currant and plum); Aspergillus sp. (Strawberry); mushrooms of the order Mucorales (raspberries). However, during chemical analysis, dangerous fusariotoxins were found in samples of strawberries, red currants and plums, the producers of which are Fusarium sp. were noted not to be found in the surface microflora. In general, dangerous MTs (fusariotoxins, patulin, aflatoxins, ochratoxin B) and emergent MTs (alternaritoxins, bovericin, enniatines, etc.) were found in berries and fruits, the levels of which were below the levels normalized in food products. A comparison was made of the levels of microbial contamination in fresh berries and fruits and those subjected to technological processing (convection drying and shock freezing). It is shown that the microbiological purity of products with such processing methods is mainly ensured by the quality of food raw materials, since the conditions of convection drying and shock freezing do not lead to microflora inactivation.
Limitations. Within the framework of the study, the species affiliation of MSIs was carried out by mycological methods without the use of PCR analysis, which will be the subject of further research.
Conclusion. The absence of visible spoilage of berries and fruits has been shown to no mean the absence of MT in them, and mycotoxigenic molds may not be detected in the mycoflora of fruits. Contamination of fruit and berry products with a wide range of regulated and emerging MTs was revealed, which confirms the need for an in-depth study of the contamination of these types of products with mycotoxins that are hazardous to human health, with the aim of subsequent assessment of the risk of their entry into the human body.