A Survey of Fungal Contamination Associated with Barberry (Berberis spp.) in Iran

Mehdi Jahani, Ommolbanin Motamed Rezaei, Maryam Khodadadi, Efat Alemzadeh

Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran.
Faculty of Public Health, Birjand university of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran..

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2013.48192                

Abstract

Seedless barberry (Berberis vulgaris L. var. asperma) is one of the few unique crops grown only in Iran and southkhorasan. Barberry is a well known medicinal plant in Iran and has been widely used as food additive. The comprehensive survey of fungal contamination of barberry was undertaken in the market of Birjand, during March to June at 2012. Fungal infections of barberry were studied in thirty samples. Among these, Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Mucor spp. were major contaminants also the results showed that 57% of barberry was infected and most fungal species related to Aspergillus spp. and penicillium spp. Therefore it needs to undertake the management practices.

Keywords

Aspergillus spp.; Barberry; Fungal Contamination; Penicillium spp.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	A. Zargari, “Medicinal Plants (in Persian),” Tehran University Press, Tehran, 1990.
[2]	A. Tehranifar, “Barberry Growing in Iran,” XXVI International Horticultural Congress: Asian Plants with Unique Horticultural Potential: Genetic Resources, Cultural Practices, and Utilization, ISHS Acta Horticulture, Vol. 1, No. 620, 2003. pp. 193-195.
[3]	M. Kafi and A. Balendari, “Berberis: Production and Processing,” Language and Literature, Mashhad, 2002, p. 204.
[4]	F. Shamsa, A. Ahmadiani and R. Khosrokhavar, “Antihistaminic and Anticholinergic Activity of Barberry Fruit (Berberis vulgaris) in the Guinea-Pig Ileum,” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 64, No. 2, 1999, pp. 161-166. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(98)00122-6
[5]	M. Kafi and A. Balandari, “Barberry (Berberis vulgaris): Production and Processing,” Ferdowsi University Press, 2004, p. 20 (in Persian).
[6]	N. Valipoor, M. T. Motlagh, H. Mosavian, S. A. Mortazavi and A. Tamizi, “Beneficial Effects of Polyethylene Packages Containing Micrometer-Sized Silver Particles on the Quality and Shelf Life of Dried Barberry (Berberis vulgaris),” Journal of Food Science, Vol. 71, 2012, pp. E2-E9. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02497.x
[7]	L. F. Johnson and E. A. Curl, “Methods for Research on Ecology of Soil Borne Pathogens,” Burgess Publishing Co., Minneapolis, 1972.
[8]	K. B. Raper and D. I. Fennell, “The Genus Aspergillus,” Krieger Publishing Company, New York, 1977.
[9]	M. A. Klich, “Identification of Common Aspergillus Species,” CBS Publication, Utrecht, 2002.
[10]	H. L. Barnett and B. B. Hunter, “Illustration Genera of Imperfect Fungi,” 4th Edition, American Phytopathological Society Minnesota, 1998.
[11]	M. W. Trucksess, J. Giler, K. Young, K. D. White and S. W. Page, “Determination and Survey of Ochratoxin in Wheat, Barley and Coffee-1997,” Journal of AOAC International, Vol. 82, No. 1, 1999, pp. 85-89.
[12]	P. Susamma, “Fruits Crops Diseases in the Field of Storage,” Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi, 2002.
[13]	N. Sharma and A. M. Mashkoor, “Postharvest Diseases of Horticultural Perishables,” International Book Distributing Co., Lucknow, 1998, p. 308.
[14]	M. U. Ghurde and A. U. Pachkhede, “The Market and Storage Diseases of Fruits from Amravati (Maharashtra) India,” Bionanofrontier, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2010, pp. 325-327.