Patulin : Fungus Study
A research team from the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) in Japan discovered a fungus that helps destroy a harmful food toxin, Patulin.
Key finding:
- The team identified a filamentous fungal strain, Acremonium sp. or “TUS-MM1,” belonging to the genera Acremonium.
- The scientists then performed various experiments to shed light on the mechanisms by which TUS-MM1 degraded patulin.
- This involved incubating the mold strain in a patulin-rich solution and focusing on the substances that gradually appeared both inside and outside its cells in response to patulin over time.
- They found that TUS-MM1 cells transformed any absorbed patulin into desoxypatulinic acid, a compound much less toxic than patulin, by adding hydrogen atoms to it.
- The team also found that some of the compounds secreted by TUS-MM1 cells can transform patulin into other molecules.
- Patulin (C7H6O4) is a toxic mycotoxin produced by several types of fungi.
- It is harmful to a wide range of creatures, including humans, mammals, plants, and microbes.
- It can grow on damaged or decaying fruits, especially apples.
- It is responsible for a wide variety of health hazards, including nausea, lung congestion, ulcers, intestinal haemorrhages, and even more serious outcomes—such as DNA damage, immunosuppression and increased cancer risk.
