Incidence of fumonisin B2 production within Aspergillus section Nigri populations isolated from California raisins.

Fungi belonging to Aspergillus section Nigri occur frequently and in high populations on grapes. Species within this section include Aspergillus niger, A. tubingensis, and A. carbonarius, and they are potential sources for mycotoxins including ochratoxin A and fumonisin B(2) (FB(2)) in grapes and grape products. Aspergillus section Nigri strains were isolated from California raisins to examine the frequency and extent of FB(2) production. Of 392 strains isolated, 197 strains were identified as A. niger, 131 of which produced FB(2). These strains produced from 1.2 to 27 μg/ml FB(2) in culture. PCR amplification of fum1 and fum19 gene fragments showed that all FB(2)-producing strains and nearly all nonproducing strains of A. niger contain these genes. An additional 175 strains were identified as A. tubingensis, none of which produced FB(2). PCR with fum1 and fum19 primers amplified gene fragments of 14 and 25% of A. tubingensis strains, respectively, suggesting that putative orthologs of A. niger fumonisin biosynthetic genes might occur in A. tubingensis. These results indicate that FB(2) production is common among field isolates of A. niger and suggest that the potential for FB(2) contamination of California raisins should be addressed further.