Although the industrial production of butanol has been carried out for decades by bacteria of the Clostridium species, recent studies have shown the use of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a promising alternative. While the production of n-butanol by this yeast is still very far from its tolerability (up to 2% butanol), the improvement in the tolerance can lead to an increase in butanol production. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the adaptive capacity of the laboratory strain X2180-1B and the Brazilian ethanol-producing strain CAT-1 when submitted to two strategies of adaptive laboratory Evolution (ALE) in butanol. The strains were submitted, in parallel, to ALE with successive passages or with UV irradiation, using 1% butanol as selection pressure. Despite initially showing greater tolerance to butanol, the CAT-1 strain did not show great improvements after being submitted to ALE. Already the laboratory strain X2180-1B showed an incredible increase in butanol tolerance, starting from a condition of inability to grow in 1% butanol, to the capacity to grow in this same condition. With emphasis on the X2180_n100#28 isolated colony that presented the highest maximum specific growth rate among all isolated colonies, we believe that this colony has good potential to be used as a model yeast for understanding the mechanisms that involve tolerance to alcohols and other inhibitory compounds.

Peanut-based products have been associated with Salmonella foodborne outbreaks and/or recalls worldwide. The ability of Salmonella to persist for a long time in a low moisture environment can contribute to this kind of contamination. The objective of this study was to analyse the genome of five S. enterica enterica strains isolated from the peanut supply chain in Brazil, as well as to identify genetic determinants for survival under desiccation and validate these findings by phenotypic test of desiccation stress. The strains were in silico serotyped using the platform SeqSero2 as Miami (M2851), Javiana (M2973), Oranienburg (M2976), Muenster (M624), and Glostrup/Chomedey (M7864); with phylogenomic analysis support. Based on Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) the strains were assigned to STs 140, 1674, 321, 174, and 2519. In addition, eight pathogenicity islands were found in all the genomes using the SPIFinder 2.0 (SPI-1, SPI-2, SPI-3, SPI-5, SPI-9, SPI-13, SPI-14). The absence of a SPI-4 may indicate a loss of this island in the surveyed genomes. For the pangenomic analysis, 49 S. enterica genomes were input into the Roary pipeline. The majority of the stress related genes were considered as soft-core genes and were located on the chromosome. A desiccation stress phenotypic test was performed in trypticase soy broth (TSB) with four different water activity (a(w)) values. M2976 and M7864, both isolated from the peanut samples with the lowest a(w), showed the highest OD570nm in TSB a(w) 0.964 and were statistically different (p < 0.05) from the strain isolated from the peanut sample with the highest a(w) (0.997). In conclusion, genome analyses have revealed signatures of desiccation adaptation in Salmonella strains, but phenotypic analyses suggested the environment influences the adaptive ability of Salmonella to overcome desiccation stress.

Grain production grows more every year, and stored grain pests have been a challenge for agriculture. The use of pesticides is the main solution to face this challenge; however, improper and extensive management leads to another difficulty: the resistance acquired by some pests, causing their ineffectiveness. Thus, essential oils and other natural products emerge as an alternative to overcome this situation. In this study, several essential oils with insecticidal/repellent properties were reviewed to evaluate the capacity to become an important method for protecting stored grains against the most recurrent pests. This is a literature review that analyzed articles in scientific database platforms, using different combinations of the keywords “Essential oils”, “Insecticides”, “Stored grains”, “Repellents” and “Insects”. Among the essential oils studied, the most outstanding were the essential oils of: Artemisia argyi and Mentha haplocalyx against Lasioderma serricorne; Artemisia rupestris and Ligusticum pteridophyllum against Liposcelis bostrychophila; and Artemisia anethoides, Elshotzia ciliata, and Amomum maximum against Tribolium castaneum. Along with some essential oils, their main components and insecticidal/repellent capacity when isolated were also evaluated. The results were promising, although mechanisms of action have not yet been elucidated. Investing in research for alternative pest control can contribute to sustainable agriculture.

The current study investigated the fungal diversity in freshly harvested oat samples from the two largest production regions in Brazil, Paraná (PR) and Rio Grande do Sul (RS), focusing primarily on the Fusarium genus and the presence of type B trichothecenes. The majority of the isolates belonged to the Fusarium sambucinum species complex, and were identified as F. graminearum sensu stricto (s.s.), F. meridionale, and F. poae. In the RS region, F. poae was the most frequent fungus, while F. graminearum s.s. was the most frequent in the PR region. The F. graminearum s.s. isolates were 15-ADON genotype, while F. meridionale and F. poae were NIV genotype. Mycotoxin analysis revealed that 92% and 100% of the samples from PR and RS were contaminated with type B trichothecenes, respectively. Oat grains from PR were predominantly contaminated with DON, whereas NIV was predominant in oats from RS. Twenty-four percent of the samples were contaminated with DON at levels higher than Brazilian regulations. Co-contamination of DON, its derivatives, and NIV was observed in 84% and 57.7% of the samples from PR and RS, respectively. The results provide new information on Fusarium contamination in Brazilian oats, highlighting the importance of further studies on mycotoxins.

Compared to adults, children and especially infants, have a markedly different physiology. Mainly due to metabolic rates and lower body weight, infants are recognized as a potentially vulnerable subgroup with respect to consumption of mycotoxins. In this review, analysis of the main mycotoxins occurring in food intended for children, such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, Fusarium toxins and Alternaria toxins, is presented. Aspects regarding general mechanisms of toxicity, tolerable daily intake and regulations are shown. Additionally, occurrence of mycotoxins in cereal-based baby foods during the last 15 years is are also discussed.