Identification, aflatoxin content, and antagonistic test of spoilage fungi in bread to Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Abstract. Fendiyanto MH, Satrio RD. 2020. Identification, aflatoxin content, and antagonistic test of spoilage fungi in bread to Aspergillus niger. Bioteknologi 17: 60-66. The major problem in shelf storage life in bread is contamination by molds, fungi and mycotoxins. The growth of spoilage fungi indicates that the bread has structural damage. Infection from this fungus will affect the shelf life of the bread to be shorter. Contaminated bread may influenced human health in the future. One of the many solutions to overcome the fungi-contamination of bread is the use of biological agents. Aspergillus niger has the ability, as a biological agent, to suppress food-destroying pathogens in many foods, including bread. However, there are few reports about the antagonistic test in bread, particularly between A.niger as biological control agent to spoilage fungi. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the growth antagonistic test of A. niger against food spoilage fungi, expecting the storage life of bread could be extended and mycotoxin contamination avoided. The antagonistic test was in the form of a test that utilizes the properties of microorganisms that grow faster than pathogens or produce antibiotic compounds. The methods used in this study included isolation and identification of fungi, water content analysis, aflatoxin test, and antagonistic test. Interestingly, the antagonist test results showed A. niger can inhibit the growth of spoilage fungi on bread. In conclusion, the species of fungus with the highest inhibition value was Hyphopichia burtonii, while the lowest was Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These findings indicate that A.niger can be used as a biological control in extending bread shelf storage in the future.