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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413019
Research Project: Novel Methods for the Mitigation of Human Pathogens and Mycotoxin Contamination of High Value California Specialty Crops

Location: Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research

Title: Synergistic and broad-spectrum efficacy of phenylacetate and acetophenone combination against mycotoxin-producing fungi

Author
item Shilman, Mikhail
item Palumbo, Jeffrey - Jeff
item Chan, Kathleen - Kathy
item Henderson, Thomas
item Gee, Wai
item Sarreal, Siov
item HENRY, MANON - Universite De Montreal
item SELLAM, ADNANE - Universite De Montreal

Submitted to: ACS Agricultural Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/2024
Publication Date: 10/8/2024
Citation: Shilman, M.M., Palumbo, J.D., Chan, K.L., Henderson II, T.D., Gee, W.S., Sarreal, S.L., Henry, M., Sellam, A. 2024. Synergistic and broad-spectrum efficacy of phenylacetate and acetophenone combination against mycotoxin-producing fungi. ACS Agricultural Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00341.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00341

Interpretive Summary: Certain fungi produce mycotoxins, can contaminate food, and may cause cancer. In this study, we found that two natural compounds, phenylacetate and acetophenone, can inhibit the growth of agriculturally important mycotoxin-producing fungi. When tested, both chemicals were shown to effectively fight against Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that makes aflatoxins (a type of mycotoxin). When combined together, phenylacetate and acetophenone synergized against A. flavus and four other fungi known for producing mycotoxins: A. parasiticus, Penicillium expansum, Fusarium oxysporum, and F. verticillioides. These compounds also slowed the growth rate of human fungal pathogens, Candida albicans and C. auris. Tests revealed that acetophenone specifically inhibited the ability of A. flavus to produce aflatoxins, but phenylacetate did not. Our study suggests that the combination of phenylacetate and acetophenone could be a useful treatment to control mycotoxin-producing fungi in food.

Technical Abstract: Mycotoxin contamination of food may lead to cancer and is caused by fungal pathogens. In this study, we discovered that two natural products, phenylacetate and acetophenone, inhibit the growth of mycotoxin-producing fungi of agricultural importance. Using disc diffusion assays, we observed that both chemicals demonstrated antifungal activity against mycotoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus. The efficacies of acetophenone and phenylacetate synergized against A. flavus and four additional mycotoxin-producing fungi: A. parasiticus, Penicillium expansum, Fusarium oxysporum, and F. verticillioides. Using growth kinetic assay, we observed that phenylacetate and acetophenone inhibited growth rates of human fungal pathogens, Candida albicans and C. auris. HPLC analysis of aflatoxins extracted from A. flavus demonstrated that acetophenone treatment inhibited the production of aflatoxins, while phenylacetate did not have such an effect. This study identifies the phenylacetate-acetophenone combination as a potential antifungal for the mycotoxin-producing fungal treatment of food.