Farming System Effect on the Incidence of Aspergillus carbonarius on Kotsifali Grapes and Ochratoxin A Occurrence in Wines of Crete.

ABSTRACT: During grape cultivation and wine production, the most effective way to prevent ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination of grapes and wine is to control ochratoxigenic fungal species, especially Aspergillus carbonarius, using appropriate cultivation techniques. In this study, the influence of an organic farming system (OFS) and an integrated farming system (IFS) on the incidence of A. carbonarius on grapes, and OTA contamination of wine, were examined. Mycological analysis of grapes collected from Kotsifali cultivar (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyards and grown under two farming systems (OFS and IFS) was performed over two growing seasons. For the same two growing seasons, OTA levels of representative wine samples from wineries located in the same area, made from the same cultivar (single varietal or covinificated with Mandilari), and grown under the two farming systems were determined. The results showed that the farming system had a significant influence on the incidence of A. carbonarius, with IFS being the most effective in the control of the fungus and the prevention of OTA occurrence in wine. This knowledge could offer viticulturists a useful tool to produce safer grapes, giving winemakers an incentive to make low-OTA wine.

Evaluation of Eight Essential Oils for Postharvest Control of Aspergillus carbonarius in Grapes.

ABSTRACT: A range of fungal species are associated with postharvest spoilage of grapes. However, Aspergillus carbonarius is the primary fungus responsible for the contamination of grapes with ochratoxin A, a mycotoxin causing several confirmed negative health effects in humans and animals. Aiming to find a method, safe for consumers, to prevent postharvest decay and ochratoxin A contamination of grapes, the potential use of essential oils as preservatives was investigated. Essential oils of Origanum dictamnus (dittany), Origanum onites (oregano), Origanum microphyllum (marjoram), Thymbra capitata (thyme), Satureja thymbra (savory), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), Laurus nobilis (laurel), and Salvia officinalis (sage) were tested. The essential oil components were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. A first evaluation of the effectiveness of essential oils was performed in vitro at a range of concentrations up to 300 µL L-1. Based on the results of the in vitro tests, the four most effective essential oils (O. dictamnus, O. onites, T. capitata, and S. thymbra) were tested on Sultana grapes during postharvest storage. The four essential oils tested, which had carvacrol and/or thymol as a common component, at a high concentration significantly reduced or even inhibited growth of the fungus in all treatments. As revealed from the results, the essential oils of O. dictamnus, O. onites, and S. thymbra were the most effective, causing total inhibition of the growth of the fungus with a minimum concentration of 100 µL L-1, followed by the essential oil of T. capitata, which showed total effectiveness with a minimum concentration of 200 µL L-1. Although essential oils of O. microphyllum, L. nobilis, S. officinalis, and R. officinalis had a significant effect on the growth of A. carbonarius, they failed to inhibit its growth at any of the concentrations tested.

Plerixafor added to G-CSF-supported paclitaxel-ifosfamide-cisplatin salvage chemotherapy enhances mobilization of adequate numbers of hematopoietic stem cells for subsequent autografting in hard-to-mobilize patients with relapsed/refractory germ-cell tumors: a single-center experience.

An appreciable percentage of patients with relapsed/refractory germ-cell tumors (GCTs), candidates for high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), fail to mobilize adequate hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) numbers with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)±salvage chemotherapy. Plerixafor has shown a potential to mobilize adequate CD34+HSCs numbers in this context. Here, we applied plerixafor in combination with G-CSF after salvage chemotherapy in 'poor' mobilizers with relapsed/refractory GCTs for HDC+HCT. Patients with relapsed/refractory GCTs (n=10) received salvage paclitaxel-ifosfamide-cisplatin (TIP) chemotherapy+G-CSF to mobilize adequate HSCs to support HDC, mainly with two courses of high-dose thiotepa-etoposide-carboplatin (TEC). Patients failing to achieve the minimum collection threshold of 2.0×10/kg CD34+ cells, to support at least one cycle of HDC, were administered plerixafor before the anticipated HSC collection during subsequent cycle(s). Overall, seven patients mobilized adequate CD34+ cells (>5.0×10/kg) aiming to support two cycles of HDC. Three patients did not mobilize adequate numbers of CD34+ cells after previous G-CSF plus salvage TIP, and plerixafor was added in subsequent cycle(s). This led to a collection of adequate CD34+ cells, able to support HDC with TEC (1-2 cycles). Hematopoietic engraftment for neutrophils (absolute neutrophil count>500/µl) and platelets (platelet count>20 000/µl) with plerixafor-mobilized HSCs occurred after a median of 9 and 14 days, respectively. Salvage TIP+G-CSF leads to successful HSC mobilization in patients with less heavily pretreated GCTs, whereas the addition of plerixafor to G-CSF+TIP led to mobilization of adequate HSCs that supported autografting after one to two TEC cycles.