Study of Microbial Contamination in Local Fruits and Vegetables Samples of Solan, Himachal Pradesh

Food Microbiology is the study of food micro-organisms. In the present study, we have chosen to isolate and identify bacteria and fungus from various fruits and vegetables. The various fruits had been collected from local market of Solan (H.P). After the complete identification, the isolated microorganism was identified as bacteria i.e. Enterobacter, Xanthomonas, Erwinia, Acidovoraxavenae, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Streptococcus and fungus i.e. Cercospora mamaoms, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Alternaria alternate, Aspergillus niger. Chances of contamination can be reduced by the good hygienic conditions.

Production of Alternaria Toxins in Yellow Peach (Amygdalus persica) upon Artificial Inoculation with Alternaria alternate

The yellow peach (Amygdalus persica), an important fruit in China, is highly susceptible to infection by Alternaria sp., leading to potential health risks and economic losses. In the current study, firstly, yellow peaches were artificially inoculated with Alternaria alternate. Then, the fruits were stored at 4 °C and 28 °C to simulate the current storage conditions that consumers use, and the Alternaria toxins (ATs) contents from different parts of the fruits were analyzed via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The results showed that the growth of A. alternate and the ATs production were dramatically affected by the storage temperature. At 28 °C, the fungi grew rapidly and the lesion diameter reached about 4.0 cm within 15 days of inoculation, while, at 4 °C, the fungal growth was noticeably inhibited, with no significant change in the lesion diameter. To our surprise, high contents of ATs were produced under both storage conditions even though the fungal growth was suppressed. With an increase in the incubation time, the amounts of ATs showed a steady tendency to increase in most cases. Remarkably, alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), alternariol (AOH), and tenuazonic acid (TeA) were detected in the rotten tissue and also in the surrounding tissue, while a large amount of TeA could also be found in the healthy tissue. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the production of ATs by the infection of Alternaria sp. in yellow peach fruits via artificial inoculation under regulated conditions, and, based on the evidence herein, it is recommended that ATs be included in monitoring and control programs of yellow peach management and food safety administration.

Studies on Fungal of Diseases of Cassia fistula and control measures in Nurseries and Plantation in Jalgaon District (M.S.) India

During the extensive and intensive survey of the forest fungal disease of Cassia fistula growing in the road side, field, scrub forest near natural forest, plantations and nurseries, about nine type of fungal and bacterial diseases were recorded during 2017-2019. The diseases : wilt, leaf spot, leaf and stem rot were recorded in different study sites in the different seasons. The causal organism (Pathogens) were identified as Alternaria alternate, Fusarium solani, Phloespora cassia, Ganoderma lucidum and Pseudo sercospora.