Antifungal activities of coating incorporated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall mannoprotein on Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production in pistachio (Pistacia vera L.)

In this study, the effects of the mannoprotein isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScMnn) were evaluated against Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin (AF) production in pistachios. The mannoprotein extracted from the cell wall of S. cerevisiae was incorporated in gelatin-based solution at different concentration (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% w/w) then used as coating of kernels. A. flavus spore suspension (10 4 spores/mL) was inoculated on both coated (cp) and non-coated (ncp) pistachios. In cp samples, the mycelium development was delayed and AF content decreased, compared with the ncp ones. Noteworthy, the coating containing 1.5% ScMnn decreased AFB1 up to 42.81%. The ScMnn could be considered as an operative agent to reduce A. flavus growth and AF contamination in pistachios. The edible and food grade properties are important in its application as novel additive and as bioactive agent in coatings for the control of AF in pistachios. Practical applications: Active edible coating containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannoprotein could be applied in pistachio industry to control Aspergillus flavus growth and reduce aflatoxin contamination. This antifungal coating could improve the safety of pistachio nuts.