Mycotoxin and Fungal Contamination of Fresh and Dried Tomato

Background: Tomato is an important crop cultivated in Egypt. Huge amount of fresh tomatoes were lost and negatively affected human health because of fungal diseases. Drying process represent easy and applicable techniques to minimize tomatoes infection notably mycotoxigenic fungi. The economical problem of tomato comes from its price had 10-fold increase in the last decade.

Methodology: The commercial ripe tomato samples (30) obtained from local super-market at Giza during October 2015 were used to evaluate the effect of drying with those from Egyptian agriculture centre, Giza, which considered as control. A. flavus and Alt. alternata have been isolated from sample, Alt. alternata observed inside tomato using scanning electron microscope. Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and tenuazonic acid were determined. The infected and spoiled samples were discarded and the uniform with healthy were selected to study and were divided into 4 groups, three of them were cut into slices; the fourth group was converted to juice. The product of all groups were divided into 2 sets the first set was dried by solar energy, and the second treated by freeze-dryer. All sets sample packaged in plastic bags, stored at 25°C for one year, and inspected for fungal growth.

Results and Discussion: The freeze-dried samples color appeared nearest to fresh tomato by highly coast. No fungal growth appeared through storage. The isolated fungi weren't able to produce either aflatoxin or tenuazonic acid. None of ochratoxin A or aflatoxins was detected in analyzed samples. Tenuazonic acid detected at low levels of concentration (0.680 ug/kg) in inside rotted ripped samples.

Conclusion: All tomato samples were free from either aflatoxins or ochratoxin A. alternaria fungi recorded as inside rotted. However the effectiveness and promising results of freeze-dried samples which near to fresh-like samples it's expensive cost considered as major problem.