14C-3 |
Control of Fusarium species by baking soda |
Y. D. HANG and E. E. Woodams. Food Science & Technology, Cornell Univ., New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 630 W. North St., Geneva, NY 14456-1371 Fusarium specices are responsible for a variety of plant diseases such as Fusarium wilt in tomatoes, ear rot in corn, head blight and scab in barley and wheat. The pathogenic molds can grow and produce a number of mycotoxins in grains, animal feeds, and human foods. Presently there is no good method to control the occurrence of Fusarium species and mycotoxins in food production and processing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) for controlling the growth of Fusarium species. In our earlier work, we found baking soda capable of significantly reducing the mycelial growth of Geotrichum candidium, a machinery mold. Experiments were conducted in 500-ml Erlenmeyer flasks, each containing 100 ml of Czapek-Dox broth. Each flask was inoculated with a spore inoculum of Fusarium oxysporum PIC 950 and incubated at 30 degree C on a shaker. Baking soda (0 to 1%) was added prior to fermentation. Mycelial dry weight was determined by filtering, washing, and drying in an oven overnight. Sugar was analyzed by the phenol-sulfuric acid method. pH was measured with a pH meter. Baking soda was found to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of Fusarioum oxysporum. For example, the mycelial growth of the mold was reduced by greater than 95% and only a relatively small amount of sugar was consumed in Czapek-Dox broth containing 0.3% baking soda bicarbonate. The mycelial growth in the culture medium adjusted to the same initial pH value with sodium hydroxide was essentially unaffected. The inhibitory effect of baking soda on fungal growth was thus due to the bicarbonate component. Potassium bicarbonate exhibited the same effect as baking soda under similar growth conditions. The experimental results of this study indicate that baking soda has a potential use as a microbial inhibitor to control Fusarium species in crops, animal feeds, and human foods.
Session 14C, Food Microbiology: Food mycology
|