[Effects of autoclaving and surface disinfection of wheat (Triticum aestivum) on the production of ergosterol, ochratoxin A and citrinin by Penicillium verrucosum].

Moist wheat was autoclaved, surface disinfected with NaOCl or left untreated. After inoculation with conidia of a toxigenic strain of Penicillium verrucosum kernels were stored at 10 and 4 degrees C. The production of ergosterol, a chemical indicator of fungal growth, was accelerated at both temperatures by each of the two treatments, compared to untreated wheat. The accumulation of ochratoxin A and citrinin was accelerated by each of the two treatments at 10 degrees C, whereas it was accelerated or retarded at 4 degrees C. It is concluded that the kinetics of growth and toxin production of Penicillium verrucosum during cold storage of wheat under real agricultural conditions cannot be predicted from in vitro studies with autoclaved or surface disinfected wheat.