Airborne Penicillium in the grain shops of Nagpur (India)

Abstract

The airborne Penicillium spp. and total airborne fungal spore concentration was investigated in the grain shops of Nagpur city, India, using a volumetric Hi-Air sampler system Mark II (Hi Media Laboratories Ltd., India). The mycotoxins were analysed from the Penicillium isolates obtained from the seeds by thin layer chromatography. The mean concentration of the total fungi isolated from different grain shops ranged from 7.8 × 102 to 1.1 × 103 CFU/m3. The mean concentration of Penicillium isolated from the air of grain shops ranged from 8.6 × 101 CFU/m3 (10.8%) to 1.7 × 102 CFU/m3 (19.9%). Among the 13 species of Penicillium which were isolated, P. citrinum Thom was the most prevalent species (24.2%), followed by P. oxalicum Currie & Thom (16.5), P. digitatum Saccardo (8.9%), P. janthinellum Biourge (8.7%), P. funiculosum Thom (8.3%), P. chrysogenum Thom (6.4%), P. purpurogenum Stoll (6.2%), P. brevicompactum Dierckx (4.8%), P. frequentans Westling (4.2%), P. italicum Wehmer (3.8%), P. rubrum Stoll (3.4%), P. expansum Link (2.9%) and P. cyclopium Westling (1.6%). Penicillium species were also isolated from seeds such as wheat, maize, soybean, and groundnut. The mycotoxins roquefortin C, citrinin, rubratoxin B, cyclopiazonic acid, verrucosidin, mitorubrinic acid and two unknown metabolites were isolated from Penicillium isolates. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.