First Report on Post-harvest management of black mold of onion by eugenol

Black mold of onion caused by Aspergillus niger is a serious and prevalent postharvest disease of onion. This problem drastically reduces the quality and marketability of onion bulbs. Conventional fungicides employed to con-trol A. niger contamination posed negative impact on human health and en-vironment and highlighted the need to discover ecofriendly management practices. In the present study we attempted to explore the use of eugenol for the management of black mold of onion. Eugenol may exhibit differ-ences in antifungal activity in liquid state and in volatile phase. Hence, we developed and validated a new method, conical flask- paper cone method to study the antifungal activity of vapour phase disinfectants. This method was found to be precise, reproducible, sensitive and accurate with inter-assay R.S.D < 10%, intra-assay R.S.D <5% and R2>0.99. Conical flask- paper cone method was further utilized to determine the minimum inhibitory concen-tration of eugenol against A. niger. We observed that 0.03355 μl / cm3 eu-genol caused invitro and invivo inhibition of A. niger. Onion bulbs that were stored by eugenol fumigation, prior inoculated by A. niger, did not develop black mold symptoms and maintained high sensory acceptability. Microscop-ic observations revealed that eugenol fumigation resulted in inhibition of spore germination, coagulation of cytoplasm, formation of large vesicles and shrinkage of A. niger mycelium. In conclusion, our study showed for the first time that eugenol fumigation significantly controlled black mold incidence during storage and maintained post harvest quality and sensory acceptance. This study also introduced a new method for evaluating antifungal activity of volatile compounds.

Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water to Remove Methylobacterium mesophilicum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cladosporium cladosporioides in Households

(1) Background: Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) is an effective and safe sterilizing solution. Its active component is hypochlorous acid (HOCl) which has been proved to exhibit a strong disinfectant activity. In this research we evaluated the effectiveness of SAEW in the removal of Methylobacterium mesophilicum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cladosporium cladosporioides, responsible for pink-colored biofilm and black mold in households. (2) Methods: Two concentrations of SAEW, 20 mg/L and 40 mg/L, were tested against M. mesophilicum, R. mucilaginosa and C. cladosporioides. In vitro experiments and mesh experiments were conducted to test the effectiveness of SAEW. (3) Results: The test results showed that 40 mg/L SAEW was effective in removing R. mucilaginosa and C. cladosporioides, with the population decreasing by approximately two orders of magnitude. For M. mesophilicum, resistance towards SAEW was observed; to obtain a 1.3 order of magnitude decrease in bacterial population, washing 5 times with 40 mg/L SAEW was necessary. Mesh experiments showed that SAEW can remove black mold; (4) Conclusions: Overall results indicated that SAEW was particularly effective for R. mucilaginosa and C. cladosporioides species commonly found in Japanese households.

Studying the Effect of Fungicides in Field Conditions on Disease of Fruits of Tomatoes

Tomato is one of the most important food crops. In recent years, tomatoes have been found to be susceptible to various diseases that damage the crop. One of these diseases is black mold of tomato fruits (alternariosis). Leaves, stems and fruits of the plant are damaged. Dark brown or black lesions develop on tomato fruits. The resulting tissue damage is more common where the fruit is attached to the twig.

THE INFLUENCE OF MICROORGANISMS ON THE PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

The article considers the change in the physical and mechanical characteristics of cement stone made of the CEM I 42,5 N Portland cement in the process of bacterial and fungal corrosion for 6 months in the air and moisture conditions. It is established that the density of concrete during microbiological corrosion increases under constant moistening of the sample. However, after drying, a decrease in the density of concrete is recorded by 10 % under the influence of Bacillus subtilis bacteria and by 14 % under the influence of black mold. The degree of influence of microorganisms on the amount of water absorption of cement stone is established experimentally. Bacteria increases water absorption by 7 %, black mold increases water absorption by 10 %. Within 6 months, water absorption increased from 21 to 24,5 % for bacterial corrosion in indoor conditions, and from 24 to 29 % for fungal corrosion. When exposed to capillary moisture for 6 months, the water absorption of concrete increased to 30,4 % under the influence of Bacillus subtilis bacteria and to 37,3% under the influence of Aspergillus niger van Tieghem fungi. An increase in the water absorption of concrete is associated with an increase in porosity due to biodegradation. Under room conditions of exposure to bacteria, the porosity increases from 14,1 to 15,3 %, and from 14,3 to 17,9 % after exposure to black mold. With constant moistening, the porosity of cement concrete increases to 19,1 and 25,6 % with bacterial and fungal corrosion, respectively. The loss of compressive strength of cement stone is 13 % under the influence of bacteria and 15 % under the influence of fungi in the air for 6 months. In case of microbiological corrosion of concrete under conditions of constant wetting, the strength decreases by about 35 % in 6 months

Emerging cases of mucormycosis in post Covid-19 disease patients

Mucormycosis (MC) is a serious threat in this covid-19 pandemic situation; cases of MC continue to increases as post covid-19 disease affliction in India. It is a life-threatening disease that happens due to black mold. Mucormycosis is described as a potentially lethal infection amongst immune-compromised (IC) hosts, particularly in those with diabetes, leukemia, and lymphoma. Mortality rate of MC just doubles in IC host, delayed diagnosis increase the rate of mortality. Mucormycosis is difficult to diagnose which affects outcomes and results in a poor prognosis. The main objective of the study was to detect MC in the clinical species received during or post covid-19 treatment in our laboratory.Basic microbiological methods such as gram stain and KOH smear were used for the detection of MC in the received clinical specimen and morphology was seen in the microscope. The is a cross-sectional observational study conducted in our microbiology laboratory for one month periods during May 15, 2021 to June 15, 2021 in a tertiary care hospital of central India. During study period our microbiology lab received n=35 suspected clinical specimens from N= 27 post covid-19 patients for MC diagnosis over one month period. Out of n=35 specimens, n=8 specimens (obtained from N=5 patients) were positive for MC by gram and KOH smear method and we saw filamentous fungi by conventional microscopic method. The present study concluded that the cases of life threatening MC increase day by day in central India as post complication of covid-19 disease.

CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURAL AND PHASE COMPOSITION OF CEMENT CONCRETE DURING MICROBIOLOGICAL CORROSION

The article considers the change in the structural and phase composition of cement stone made of Portland cement of the CEM I 42.5 N brand in the process of bacterial and fungal corrosion during 6 months when humidified. The X-ray images of cement stone show peaks that characterize the non-hydrated components of Portland cement alite, belite, tricalcium aluminate, four-calcium aluminoferrite and gypsum. By the method of X-ray phase analysis, it is found that during microbiological corrosion, the content of all phases of cement stone decreases. The aspergillus niger van Tieghem fungi have a stronger effect on the structural and phase composition of cement stone. Fungal microorganisms destroy the crystalline phases and absorb amorphous phases – calcium hydrosilicates C-S-H (I) and C-S-H (II) and tobermorite. When bacteria Bacillus subtilis affects the cement stone, the content of the calcite phase increases, which is a product of corrosion, while the action of black mold reduces the intensity of CaCO3 peaks. A decrease in the content of low-base calcium hydrosilicates and ettringite, as well as other crystalline phases, leads to a decrease in the compressive strength of the cement stone. During 6 months of microbiological corrosion of cement concrete under conditions of constant wetting, the compressive strength decreases by about 35 %.

Silver Nanoparticles Grown on Cross-Linked Poly (Methacrylic Acid) Microspheres: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antifungal Activity Evaluation

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) exert profound physicochemical, biological, and antimicrobial properties, therefore, they have been extensively studied for a variety of applications such as food packaging and cultural heritage protection. However, restrictions in their stability, aggregation phenomena, and toxicity limit their extensive use. Hence, the use of functional substrates that promote the silver nanoparticles’ growth and allow the formation of uniform-sized, evenly distributed, as well as stable nanoparticles, has been suggested. This study reports on the fabrication and the characterization of hydrophilic polymer spheres including nanoparticles with intrinsic antifungal properties. Poly (methacrylic acid) microspheres were synthesized, employing the distillation precipitation method, to provide monodisperse spherical substrates for the growth of silver nanoparticles, utilizing the co-precipitation of silver nitrate in aqueous media. The growth and the aggregation potential of the silver nanoparticles were studied, whereas the antifungal activity of the produced nanostructures was evaluated against the black mold-causing fungus Aspergillus niger. The produced structures exhibit dose-dependent antifungal activity. Therefore, they could potentially be employed for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage artifacts and considered as new agents for food protection from fungal contamination during storage.