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Aims: Lycii Fructus (LF) is considered as a 'superfood' due to its health benefits and delicious tastes, which has gained popularity worldwide. However, LF is also a proper host for fungal growth due to its abundant nutrients. Fungal contamination seriously affects the quality and safety of LF and poses threats to consumer health. Methods and Results: In this study, a total of 15 LF samples were collected from five provinces in China, and were divided into five groups based on the collection areas. Fungal contamination in LF was investigated by targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 region using Illumina Miseq PE300 platform, and the differences of fungal community in groups based on collection areas were compared. Results showed that the fungal contamination was detected in all the 15 LF samples. Ascomycota, Dothideomycetes, Pleosporales and Pleosporaceae were dominant at the phylum, class, order and family levels, respectively. At the genus level, Alternaria, Cladosporium and Fusarium were the three dominant genera. In all, 24 fungal species were identified. Among which, two species, namely Penicillium oxalicum and Trichothecium roseum, were potentially toxigenic. Conclusions: All 15 LF samples were detected with fungal contamination. The differences of fungal community in LF samples collected from different areas were observed. DNA metabarcoding was demonstrated as an efficient method to monitor the fungal contamination in LF. Significance and Impact of the Study: This work comprehensively reveals the fungal diversity and composition in LF and provides early warning for potential mycotoxin contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Collection areas, processing methods, and storage conditions influenced fungal community. • Vinegar processed and low temperature decreased fungal co-occurrence network complexity. • Six potential toxigenic fungi were detected. Corydalis Rhizoma (CR, Yanhusuo in Chinese) has been widely used as an analgesic in herbal medicine and functional food. Cases of fungal and mycotoxin contamination in CR have been reported. In this study, the composition and diversity of fungal microbiome in CR samples from four herbal markets and two processing methods were investigated by DNA metabarcoding. Variations of the fungal microbiome in CR during cold and conventional storage were monitored. Results showed that Aspergillus was the dominant genus and saprotroph was the dominant trophic mode. Six potential toxigenic fungi, namely, Aspergillus fumigatus , Aspergillus ostianus , Aspergillus terreus , Penicillium citrinum , Penicillium oxalicum , and Trichothecium roseum , were detected. Differences in fungal composition and diversity among various groups based on collection areas and processing methods were also observed. Moreover, the relative abundance of dominant genera in CR samples stored at different temperatures was significantly different and changed with storage time. This study is the first to reveal the influence of collection areas, processing methods, and storage conditions on the fungal microbiome in CR, which was expected to provide a basis for control strategies of fungal contamination in the industrial chain of CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong), derived from the dried root tuber of Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl., has been widely used in the treatment of chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases. However, Ophiopogonis Radix is often adulterated with some species because of morphological similarities. Adulterants circulating in herbal markets are a latent threat to the clinical safety and consumers' interest. We aimed to develop a nucleotide signature for identification of Ophiopogonis Radix and its Chinese patent medicines. A total of 255 ITS2 sequences representing 39 species and 4 varieties were used to develop a nucleotide signature of Ophiopogonis Radix. The nucleotide signature was used to investigate 17 commercial crude drugs and eight batches of Chinese patent medicines. A 69 bp nucleotide signature unique to Ophiopogonis Radix was found. The survey revealed that 2 of 17 crude drug samples were adulterants detected as Liriopes Radix (Shanmaidong). Fortunately, no adulterants were detected in the eight batches of Chinese patent medicines. The newly developed nucleotide signature could be efficiently applied to identify Ophiopogonis Radix and its Chinese patent medicines, aiding in the authentication, quality control, and supervision of processed products in herbal markets. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myristicae Semen (nutmeg) has been extensively used for a long time because of its pharmaceutical properties and edible values. However, nutmeg is susceptible to fungi and mycotoxin contamination under suitable conditions during growing or post-harvest, thereby posing considerable hazards to consumers and resulting in significant economic losses. In this study, the surface fungi of nutmegs collected from producing areas and commercial markets were investigated for the first time by targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 region using an Illumina MiSeq PE250 platform. Fungal contaminations were detected in all 13 tested samples. Aspergillus was the most prevailing fungi at the genus level with the relative abundance of 4.37%–82.81%, followed by Xerochrysium (0.36%–55.18%), Xeromyces (0.87%–86.38%), Hyphopichia (0.06%–29.14%), and Alternaria (0.03%–52.28%). Meanwhile, 108 fungal taxa were identified at the species level with six potential mycotoxin-producing fungi, such as Aspergillus fumigatus , Penicillium steckii , and Penicillium capsulatum. The differences between two groups of fungal communities were monitored. In conclusion, amplicon sequencing features a wide application prospect for fungal community analysis in spices and herbs and provides an early warning for subsequent potential mycotoxin biosynthesis. • This is the first report on fungal contamination in nutmeg using high-throughput sequencing. • Six potential mycotoxin-producing fungi were detected. • The fungal communities in two nutmeg groups exhibited statistically significant difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassiae Semen (CS) has been widely used as roasted tea and traditional Chinese medicine for decades. However, CS is easily contaminated by fungi and mycotoxins during pre-harvest and post-harvest process, thus posing a potential threat to consumer health. In this study, we used the Illumina MiSeq PE300 platform and targeted the internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences to survey the occurrence of fungi in raw and roasted CS samples. Results showed the fungal contamination in all 12 test samples. Ascomycota was the prevailing fungus at the phylum level, with the relative abundance of 66.50%–99.42%. At the genus level, Aspergillus , Cladosporium , and Penicillium were the most dominant genera, accounting for 0.66%–85.51%, 0.20%–29.11%, and 0.11%–32.92% of the fungal reads, respectively. A total of 68 species were identified, among which six potential toxigenic fungi belonging to Aspergillus , Penicillium , Candida , and Schizophyllum genera were detected. Moreover, differences in fungal communities were observed in raw and roasted CS samples. In conclusion, amplicon sequencing is feasible for analyzing fungal communities in CS samples, which provides a new approach to investigate the fungal contamination in edible-medicinal herb, thereby ensuring food safety and drug efficacy. • Fungal contamination in medicinal and edible Cassiae Semen (CS) was analyzed based on high-throughput sequencing • Six potential toxigenic fungi belonging to Aspergillus , Penicillium , Candida , and Schizophyllum genera were detected • Differences in fungal communities were observed in raw and roasted CS samples [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]