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January 1987 - January 2015
Publications
Publications (97)
The use of yeasts has been explored as an efficient alternative to fungicide application in the treatment and prevention of post-harvest fruit deterioration. Here, we evaluated the biocontrol abilities of the Antarctic yeast strain Debaryomyces hansenii UFT8244 against the post-harvest phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer...
Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus), a frequent contaminant in silage, is a significant producer of aflatoxins, notably the potent carcinogen aflatoxin B1. This contaminant poses a potential risk during the initial aerobic phase of ensiling. The present work studied the impact of temperature on A. flavus growth and aflatoxin B1 production in laboratory-...
Argentina is among the most important lemon fruit producers in the world. Penicillium digitatum is the primary lemon fungal phytopathogen, causing green mold during the postharvest. Several alternatives to the use of synthetic fungicides have been developed, being the use of biocontrol yeasts one of the most promising. Although many of the reports...
INTRODUCCIÓN La fusariosis de la espiga (FE) es una de las principales enfermedades del trigo en Uruguay. Esta enfermedad afecta cada aspecto de la cadena agroindustrial: reduce el rendimiento, la calidad física e industrial del grano y compromete la inocuidad del producto final, como consecuencia de la producción de micotoxinas por parte de los ho...
The postharvest disease popularly known as gray mold is considered one of the most limiting factors strawberry fruit production. The most effective way to control this disease is still the use of chemical fungicides. However, other alternative sources of control are being explored. Among these, psychrophilic yeasts adapted to extreme conditions, su...
Carotenoids are a large group of health-promoting compounds used in many industrial sectors, such as foods, feeds, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and colorants. Considering the global population growth and environmental challenges, it is essential to find new sustainable sources of carotenoids beyond those obtained from agriculture. Th...
One hundred twenty-five yeast strains isolated from table grapes and apples were evaluated for the control Botrytis cinerea of in vitro and in vivo. Ten strains were selected for their ability to inhibit mycelial growth of B. cinerea in vitro. In the in vivo assays, these yeasts were tested at 20 °C on ‘Thompson Seedless’ berries for 7 days; only t...
Food losses, defined as a reduction in the quantity and quality of food during production and storage, impact food safety and security. Losses caused by plant pathogens are among the most significant. Chemical pesticides have been extensively used to prevent microbial diseases. Their toxicity and reduced efficacy, however, have encouraged investiga...
Fungal decay, predominantly caused by Penicillium expansum, is the main cause of apple postharvest losses. To overcome this problem, synthetic fungicides are applied to fruit before storage. Public concern about this practice has raised interest in developing alternative biocontrol strategies for postharvest diseases. Debaryomyces hansenii F9D, a p...
Phlyctema vagabunda is one of the main postharvest pathogens in late-harvest apples in Chile. The control of this pathogen is mainly through synthetic fungicides or copper-based compounds; however, there are concerns about the residues of these products in food and the environment. Therefore, there is a need for seeking alternative control strategi...
Kefir is a fermented probiotic drink obtained by placing kefir granules in a suitable substrate. The kefir granules are a consortium of bacteria and yeasts embedded in a exopolysaccharide matrix. The aim of this research was the isolation and identification of yeasts from kefir of different origin, the evaluation of their antifungal capacity agains...
Penicillium expansum is an important pathogen of cold-stored fruit, currently controlled by chemical fungicides. In this work chitosan combined with the biocontrol yeast Debaryomyces hansenii F9D was tested as a safer alternative for its control on cold-stored apples and pears. When medium molecular weight chitosan was applied on fruit a reduction...
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of cereal grains caused by several Fusarium species, of which Fusarium graminearum is considered the primary causal agent. In this work 586 pure cultures of Fusarium spp. were obtained from infected grains, of which 64.9% belonged to the Fusarium graminearum species complex. 96.4% of those isolate...
Diseases caused by crop residue-dependent pathogens have increased during the last decades in Uruguayan agriculture systems, in particular Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Cochliobolus sativus. Consequently, we searched for the presence of fungal antagonists for these pathogens, particularly Trichoderma. Seven species of Trichoderma inhabiting soil...
Kefir is a fermented probiotic drink obtained by placing kefir granules in a suitable substrate. The kefir granules are a consortium of bacteria and yeasts embedded in a exopolysaccharide matrix. The aim of this research was the isolation and identification of yeasts from kefir of different origin, the evaluation of their antifungal capacity agains...
Microbial agents exert their biocontrol effects through different mechanisms of action. Clavispora lusitaniae AgL21, a yeast capable of controlling postharvest diseases in lemon, produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) impairing phytopathogenic fungi. Here we elucidate the nature of such compounds and check individual effects on mycelial growth...
Bull’s-eye rot, produced by Phlyctema vagabunda, is an important postharvest disease in apples. Current measures to control infection include synthetic fungicides, in addition to the application of copper hydroxide and potassium phosphite. However, growing public concern regarding fungicide residues in food has generated interest in developing non-...
Biodiesel generated by transesterification of triglycerides from renewable sources is a clean form of energy that is currently used in many countries in blends with petrodiesel. It is mainly produced from food-grade vegetable oils obtained from oleaginous crops. High prices of these oils have made the sustainability of biodiesel production question...
We isolated 32 yeasts from King George Island, which we then identified and characterized. Twenty-six belonged to Basidiomycota among the genera Naganishia , Holtermaniella , Vishniacozyma , Phenoliferia , Mrakia and Cystobasidium , and only six were Ascomycota of the genera Metschnikowia and Debaryomyces . Thirteen were psychrophiles, while 19 wer...
Earthworms have proved to contribute to plant health indirectly, by improvement of soil physical and chemical properties, as well as directly, through suppression of plant pathogens. Fusarium Head Blight, caused primarily by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most important cereal diseases, with severe detrimental effects on yield and grain qualit...
To provide fruit throughout the whole year, maintain quality and reduce spoilage, apples and pears are stored at low temperature. However, the development of rots, caused mainly by Penicillium expansum, cannot be avoided. To prevent fruit losses, biological control has been proposed as a potential alternative. In this work, 16 psychrotrophic, non-p...
Fusarium graminearum is ranked among the five most destructive fungal pathogens that affect agroecosystems. It causes floral diseases in small grain cereals including wheat, barley and oats, as well as maize and rice. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies reporting species within the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) a...
Fungi have been reported as common inhabitants of the maritime waters in Antarctica by studies based on culture-dependent methods. More recently, results obtained using DNA sequencing technologies, revealed that fungal diversity worldwide has been underestimated by culture methods. The present study provides the first characterization of fungal com...
Introduction:
Jatropha curcas L. is a species native to Mexico that has recently been considered an important crop to produce biofuel.
Objective:
To isolate and identify rhizobacteria from J. curcas with antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi (Curvularia lunata and Fusarium equiseti) of this crop and evaluate their capacity to promote...
Fusarium graminearum is ranked among the five most destructive fungal pathogens that affect agroecosystems. It causes floral diseases in small grain cereals including wheat, barley and oats, as well as summer crops such as maize and rice. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies reporting species within the Fusarium graminearum spe...
We present the first worldwide study on the apple (Malus × domestica) fruit microbiome that examines questions regarding the composition and the assembly of microbial communities on and in apple fruit. Results revealed that the composition and structure of the fungal and bacterial communities associated with apple fruit vary and are highly dependen...
In this study, we assessed the capacity of Pedobacter sp. 3.14.7 —a novel Antarctic keratinolytic bacterium— of producing a feather protein hydrolysate (FPH) with high antioxidant activity. This strain was able to degrade raw feather into protein hydrolysate under optimal conditions of 30 g l⁻¹ of feather concentration, pH 6.0, and 20 ºC. Maximum e...
Many industries generate a considerable amount of wastewater containing toxic and recalcitrant dyes. The main objective of this research was to examine the biosorption capacity of Reactive Blue 19 and Reactive Red 141 by the Antarctic yeast Debaryomyces hansenii F39A biomass. Some variables, including pH, dye concentration, amount of adsorbent and...
Background: Apple is one of the most highly consumed fruits worldwide and is the largest fruit crop produced in temperate regions. Fruit quality, safety and long-term storage are issues that are important to growers, distributors, and consumers. We present the first worldwide study on the apple fruit microbiome that examines questions regarding the...
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is the principal disease affecting wheat worldwide, decreasing grain quality, and production. This disease is mainly caused by members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), which have the capability to produce mycotoxins in the contaminated grains. The pathogen overwinters on crop residues (wheat straw). Und...
Fungal pathogens in fruits and vegetables cause significant losses during handling, transportation, and storage. Biological control with microbial antagonists replacing the use of chemical fungicides is a major approach in postharvest disease control, and several products based on single antagonists have been developed but have limitations related...
Two multiple response optimization methodologies were applied and compared to obtain an optimum combination medium formulation for culturing the yeast Rhodotorula graminis: (1) desirability function, and (2) pareto-optimal front by means of genetic algorithms (POF-GA). The concentration of microbial lipids, a raw material for the production of biod...
Postharvest diseases in fruits cause serious losses of fresh produce worldwide. The application of synthetic fungicides for the control of postharvest diseases such as anthracnose in mangoes can cause adverse effects on the environment and on human and animal health and has generated phytopathogen resistance. Biological control with the application...
The use of biodiesel has generated a diversification of the energy matrix, which has led to a lower dependence on fossil fuels and a concomitant reduction of the adverse effects on the environment generated by their use. Currently, biodiesel is mainly produced by transesterification with short-chain alcohols of oils from different sources, in parti...
El Penicillium expansum es uno de los principales patógenos fúngicos que afecta a diversas variedades de frutas almacenadas a bajas temperaturas. En este trabajo se estudió el control del crecimiento del patógeno en heridas de manzanas Red Delicious y peras Williams almacenadas a 0-1 °C mediante una levadura antártica (Debaryomyces hansenii F9D). E...
The capacity of microorganisms from water kefir (WK) to control Aspergillus flavus growth during the aerobic phase of ensiled sorghum grains was determined. Sorghum inoculated with A. flavus was treated with filter-sterilized and non-sterilized water kefir, ensiled, and incubated 7 days at 25 °C. A. flavus growth was quantified by qPCR after incuba...
The marine bacterium Stenotrophomonas rhizophila was assessed in vitro and in vivo as biocontrol agent against anthracnose disease of mango fruit caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The results showed that in vitro inhibition of the colony diameter and spore germination of the phytopathogen was due to the production of VOCs, competition for n...
Apple is among the main fruit crops in Uruguay. After harvest apples are stored at low temperatures. Despite this storage condition, Penicilliumexpansum, one of the most important postharvest pathogens worldwide, develops on apples. This fungus produces patulin, a secondary metabolite with toxic effects in mammals. Patulin contamination control of...
Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions are – with Polar Regions, mountains and the deep sea – the most extreme environments on Earth because of its low temperatures, dryness, high incidence of solar radiation and low nutrient availability. Nevertheless, microorganisms have successfully colonized these regions. In this study, culturable yeasts from soi...
Suitable conditions of temperature and humidity are required to maintain wheat grains quality, but during processing and storage, the grains can be exposed to adverse environmental conditions and presence of infectious fungi. Fusarium graminearum, the main causal agent of Fusarium head blight on wheat, affects crop yields and grain quality by alter...
The interest in the biotechnological potential of microorganisms belonging to unusual ecological niches, such as Antarctic environments, is little explored. Antarctic microbiology is a recent science, and little is known about the microbial diversity and genetic resources of Antarctica. Fungi present in Antarctica are adapted to the different extre...
Agriculture has experienced a strong process of changes that have led to an increase in crop diseases caused by necrotrophic pathogens. Several studies demonstrated that by managing beneficial microorganisms, it is possible to reduce the impact of plant diseases. Based on this, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of field crops...
Limited shelf life of bakery products, caused by microbial deterioration, is a concern for industries due to economic losses. Fungal spoilage of sponge cakes industrially produced in Montevideo was caused mainly by Penicillium species, in particular by Penicillium crustosum. The combination of different hurdles was studied to inhibit P. crustosum g...
Antarctica and sub-Antarctic regions are characterized by extreme conditions for life such as low temperatures and nutrient availability, high solar irradiation, and dryness; however, microorganisms from the three domains of life have been found as common inhabitants of soils and waters from those zones. Despite bacteria being the most numerous mic...
Background: Microbial oils produced by diverse microorganisms are being considered as alternative sources of triglycerides for biodiesel production. However, the standalone production of biodiesel from microorganisms is not currently economically feasible. In case of yeasts, the use of low-value nutrient sources in microbial production and the impl...
Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a major constraint to barley production that substantially reduces yield and grain quality. FHB is also a major food safety concern because FHB pathogens contaminate grain with trichothecenes and other mycotoxins. DNA sequence-based analyses and in-vitro toxin assessments were used to characterize the species and trich...
The mechanisms of action associated with the biocontrol capacity of Debaryomyces hansenii against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, causal agent of anthracnose in papaya, were studied by means of in vitro and in situ assays. In vitro the yeast exhibited a variety of different antagonistic mechanisms against the phytopathogenic fungus including: volat...
En el presente trabajo se ha estudiado la aplicación de estrategias de control biológico para controlar el desarrollo del patógeno Penicillium expansum en el almacenamiento poscosecha en frío de frutas. El control biológico surge como una alternativa al uso de fungicidas químicos sintéticos y se define como el control del crecimiento de una poblaci...
Twenty strains of fungi isolated from food samples were screened for the asymmetric reduction of acetophenone. A dimorphic fungus denominated initially as GZ1 and isolated from a carrot sour rot showed very high reduction activities, and based on phenotypic and genetic characteristics was identified as Galactomyces candidus. The only product of the...
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of cereals crops worldwide and a major food safety concern due to grain contamination with trichothecenes and other mycotoxins. Fusarium graminearum, a member of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) is the dominant FHB pathogen in many parts of the world. However, a number of other Fusa...
En Uruguay se producen alrededor de 53.000 toneladas de manzanas siendo el principal destino el mercado interno para consumo en fresco. Estas permanecen largos períodos de tiempo almacenadas, surgiendo problemas con patógenos fúngicos como el Penicillium expansum. El uso de polímeros naturales como antifúngicos ha cobrado interés debido a la necesi...
One hundred and three yeasts isolated from soil samples from King George Island and Tierra del Fuego province were screened in relation with their capability to produce pectinolytic enzymes. Although all the yeasts showed well-developed colonies at 20 °C, only eight showed a clear halo around the colony, indicative of pectin degradation. A secondar...
In this study the strategy of isolating psychrotrophic, non-pectinolytic yeasts able to grow in apple juice as potential biocontrol agents was a successful approach. Thirty-four yeasts isolated from Antarctic were able to maintain rot incidence caused by P. expansum and B. cinerea under 25% on apples stored at 0-1 °C. Two of the isolates, identifie...
Various microbial groups are well known to produce a range of extracellular enzymes and other secondary metabolites. However, the occurrence and importance of investment in such activities have received relatively limited attention in studies of Antarctic soil microbiota. Sixty-one yeasts strains were isolated from King George Island, Antarctica wh...
Durante el proceso de poscosecha de frutas pueden surgir pérdidas debido a daño físico, deterioros fisiológicos y daños patológicos producidos por agentes bióticos (los principales patógenos causantes de pérdidas en la producción son los fúngicos). Tratando de minimizar el deterioro y buscando equilibrar la oferta y la demanda en diferentes épocas...
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin which has been found worldwide as a contaminant in wines. It is produced on grapes mainly by molds from Aspergillus section Nigri. This study has demonstrated for the first time the occurrence of black aspergilli on Tannat grapes from Uruguay, in a two year survey. Aspergillusuvarum (uniseriate) and Asp...
After harvest, many fruits are kept in cold storage in order to prolong their availability and shelf life. Often, this requires the application of a chemical fungicide to prevent postharvest decay from decay fungi. An alternative approach for preventing postharvest fungal decay during storage could be based on the treatment of the commodity with an...
In the present study a screening of oleaginous yeasts from different habitats nearby Montevideo, Uruguay, was carried out. Four yeast strains previously isolated from soil from Fildes Peninsula, in the Antarctic region, were also included in the study. More than 75% of the obtained isolates were characterized as oleaginous though only four of them...
(2S,3R)-Sitophilate, the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius (L) was prepared stereoselectively using a novel chemoenzymatic approach in 50% overall yield. The synthetic design was based on an enantioselective fungal reduction of ethyl 2-methyl-3-oxopentanoate with a strain of Aureobasidium pullulans (CCM...
Members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) are the primary pathogens causing Fusarium head blight (FHB), Fusarium graminearum is the main pathogen of FHB and can produce various mycotoxins in wheat, in particular type B trichothecenes. This review presents information on the Fusarium species and chemotypes diversity associated to FH...
Members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) are the primary cause of Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat, and frequently contaminate grain with trichothecene mycotoxins that pose a serious threat to food safety and animal health. The species identity and trichothecene toxin potential of 151 FGSC isolates collected from wheat in Urugu...
VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencia Antártica, Septiembre de 2013 en la Serena, Chile
Psychrotrophic yeasts isolated from Antarctic soils and selected based on their ability to grow in apple juice at low temperatures, were evaluated as potential biocontrol agents for the management of postharvest diseases of apple during cold storage. Among the species recovered, an isolate of Leucosporidium scottii, designated At17, was identified...
Resumen Botrytis cinerea provoca pérdidas importantes en numerosos cultivos y posee alta capacidad para hacerse resistente a fungicidas. Para conocer la situación en Uruguay se evaluó la sensibilidad a fungicidas de 169 aislamientos provenientes de seis cultivos monospóricos provenientes de arándano, tomate, frutilla, viña, rosal y eucalipto de dif...
The use of biocontrol agents to inhibit postharvest pathogens has shown great potential. However, there have been many obstacles to their implementation as a feasible commercial strategy. A lack of understanding of how to integrate microbial agents with commercial processing practices in packing houses has been one of the main problems. Many physic...
Two psycotrophic yeasts isolated from the surface of cold stored lemons have been selected as biocontrol agents of most common postharvest diseases of apples and citrus, during cold storage. They were identified as Cystofilobasidium infirmominiatum and Leucosporidium scottii. Both yeasts resulted resistant to three of the fungicides most frequently...
The effect of H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress on the viability of the yeast antagonist, Cystofilobasidium infirmominiatum, as well as the effect of exogenous glycine betaine (GB) on yeast viability under oxidative stress, was determined. GB treatment improved the tolerance of C. infirmominiatum to oxidative stress. Compared to untreated control yeast...
Twelve yeast Debaryomyces hansenii strains were characterized for their ability to inhibit in vitro growth of Penicillium italicum, production of lytic enzymes (β-1.3-glucanase, chitinase and protease) and postharvest biological control of blue mold decay (caused by P. italicum) on Mexican lemon fruits. The D. hansenii strains inhibited in vitro th...
Aureobasidium pullulans was the microorganism most frequently recovered from the surface of apple fruit (cv. Red Delicious) stored in commercial cold chambers for 6 months. In the present work, 10 isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans were assayed to determine if they could control blue and grey mold disease of apple during cold storage. Although nin...
A screening of 15 fungi and yeast strains was carried out in fermentation processes to perform the diastereo- and enantioselective reduction of ethyl 2-methyl-3-oxobutanoate, to the corresponding (R∗,S∗)-3-hydroxy-2-methyl esters. Overall, biotransformations led to excellent conversions, as well as good to excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivit...
Fusarium head blight is a devastating disease of wheat and barley worldwide and has been epidemic in the South America´s Southern cone for the past decade. Currently, available control measures are only partially effective and biological control could be an additional tool in an integrative approach to manage Fusarium head blight. In
Uruguay, since...
Blue mold caused by Penicillium spp. is the most important postharvest disease of apple in Uruguay. Fourteen isolates of Penicillium were recovered from rotten apple and pear fruit with blue mold symptoms, and from water from flotation tanks in commercial apple juice facilities. Phenotypic identification to species level was performed, and the isol...
Sunken lesions and wet rot on tulip (Tulipa sp.) bulbs from Chubut province (Argentina) and gladiolus (Gladiolus sp) and lily (Lillium multiflorum) bulbs from Corrientes province were observed. Three fungal isolates were obtained using conventional methodology. Inoculation for pathogenicity testing was crried out by spraying a conidial suspension o...
In the present study, two yeast antagonists, Cryptococcus laurentii (strain 317) and Candida ciferrii (strain 283) isolated from the surface of healthy apples, controlled blue mold of apple caused by Penicillium expansum. Both antagonists reduced the incidence of blue mold by 80% at 25°C. At 5°C C. ciferrii (strain 283) maintained the efficacy of d...
Ibicella lutea is a 'quasi-carnivorous' plant that grows wild in Uruguay where it is used in popular medicine as an antiseptic for eye and skin infections. In an earlier screening, it showed a broad antibacterial spectrum. From the chloroform extract of the plant the main antibacterial compound has now been isolated and identified by several MS and...
A method has been developed for the quantification of patulin in apples, apple concentrate, and apple juice. The toxin was extracted with ethyl acetate, and the extracted solution was further cleaned with 1.5% sodium carbonate solution before separation on silica gel layers with toluene-ethyl acetate-formic acid, 6 + 3 + 1, as mobile phase. The chr...
