STORAGE FUNGI IN EDIBLE AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES

Anjula Pandey and K.G. Mukerji

Applied Mycology Laboratory

Department of Botany
University of Delhi
Delhi-110 007
India

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture plays an important role in the national economy of a country. A great

emphasis on pre-and post-harvest technologies in recent years has gained much attention and
has resulted in a steady increase in agricultural production. However, materials under storage
frequently undergo deterioration due to infestation by various pests and pathogens.
The deterioration of stored materials is a complex process which is influenced by several
biotic and abiotic environmental factors as well as the physico-chemical nature of the plant
produce. The population of microorganisms in storage is greatly influenced by abiotic factors
such as temperature, relative humidity, substrate moisture content and pH. Temperature is an
important factor which controls the rate of metabolism, growth, development and reproduction
of microorganisms; very low temperatures are fatal to them.
Among the major biotic factors in the storage of edible commodities, fungal
contamination appears to be responsible for most of the problems related to quality
deterioration. However, if those conditions which are favourable for fungal growth are
avoided, their proliferation can be controlled and the quality of the stored material maintained.

STORAGE FACTORS

The hot and humid climate of tropical countries provides favourable conditions for the
growth of a wide variety of microorganisms which cause rapid deterioration of materials. The
fungi play an important role in the spoilage of a wide range of economically useful products
(Allsopp and Allsopp, 1983; Eggins and Allsop, 1975; Garg et al., 1993).
High temperature and humidity seem to favour the incidence of basal rot in onion bulbs
(Dwivedi et al., 1995). Chilli fruits stored under humid conditions are attacked by a number
of storage fungi, for example Aspergillus flavus, A. terreus, A. candidus, A. niger, A.

From Ethnomycology to Fungal Biotechnology

Edited by Singh and Aneja, Plenum Press, New York, 1999 247
sclerotium, Paecilomyces variotii and P. corylophilum which were isolated from most
deteriorated fruits (Prasad, 1997).
Abiotic factors such as temperature, relative humidity and substrate moisture are
responsible for competition of A. jlavus with other storage fungi in different seasons.
Choudhary and Sinha (1993) studied such competition and established a correlation between
these toxigenic isolates with that of aflatoxin fungal incidence: 63% in the monsoon season,
and 52% in winter which corresponded to maximum aflatoxin B J accumulation levels in
monsoon (1360 .uglkg) with a 33% reduction in winter. There exists a direct correlation
between storage mycoflora and toxin contents in the stored material. The major storage fungi
in cashew nut and quince apple (dry fruit slices) are Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium,
Chaetomium and Cladosporium which under humid conditions are responsible for
deterioration and toxin accumulation (Giridhar and Reddy, 1997; Sharma and Sumbali, 1997).
In general more acidic tissues are attacked by fungi while those having a pH above 4.5 are
more commonly infected by bacteria (Desai et aI., 1986).

FUNGAL COLONIZATION AND INVASION UNDER STORAGE

The storage fungi not only remain on the surface of infected tissue but also invade the
outer layers and internal tissues, causing damage in cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables,
oilseeds, dry fruits and nuts, spices and condiments, masticatories and other products.
In the case of cereals, storage fungi may even invade the seed before harvest and cause
embryo damage which subsequently leads to low germination or poor seedling growth (Fields
and King, 1962). In pepper (Piper nigrum) most of these fungi can apparently invade the outer
layer of the fruit before harvest despite its pulpy flesh and heavy skin. Christensen et al.
(1967) suggested that the nature of the pepper fruit might not allow the invasion of storage
fungi before harvest. However, it seems probable that aflatoxin-producing aspergilli can
colonize the fruits during their development. Faulty practices such as incorrect harvesting,
improper drying and storage conditions and poor quality processing may also result in such
contamination in storage (Banerjee et aI., 1993).
The onion is an important bulb crop which is affected by a number of fungal diseases
(Neergaard, 1977; Richardson, 1990; Walker, 1952). Of the important pathogens, Fusarium
oxysporum causes bottom or basal rot under storage (Abawi and Lorbeer, 1971; Dwivedi et aI.,
1995; Mishra and Rath, 1986; Surnnar and Gay, 1984). The 'Black Mould' of onion is yet
another major storage problem associated with heavy colonization by Aspergillus niger. The
growth and sporulation of this fungus is pronounced on the stem plate (?) and in between the
outer scales of the first foliage. Fungal colonization results in wet rot of the bulb (Dwivedi et
aI., 1995).
The causal storage fungus F. oxysporum, responsible for basal rot or soft rot, becomes
associated with the bulbs in the field as a result of direct infection and this continues even
further during storage (Abawi and Lorbeer, 1971). The heavily infected bulbs become
shrivelled and pulpy with basal rot. Cottony fungal growth in the basal and upper parts, rarely
on the outer dry scales, is indicative of the vertical spread of the fungus (Dwivedi et al., 1995).
Several cultivars of Cucurbita maxima and C. moschata have been found to be invaded
by fungi during storage. Among these, Fusarium culmorum, F. solani and Didymella bryoniae
are the major infectants (Hawthorne, 1988). Owing to their high moisture content and tender
nature, vegetables and fruits pose a characteristic post-harvest problem. High moisture content
makes them difficult and expensive to conserve as dry products, and they are metabolically
more active than dry products.
Like any other food crop, vegetables and fruits are prone to microbial spoilage due to
fungi, bacteria, yeast and moulds. The succulent nature of these commodities make them

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