Patulin Contamination in Fruit Juices and Its Control Measures

Abstract

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by some Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssochlamys mold species. It has been found to impose manyadverse health effects, and frequently detection in commercial fruit juices and apple products makes it a public health concern. Themost important organism responsible for the patulin contamination in apple and derived products is Penicillium expansum (P.expansum). There are many studies on inhibition of P. expansum growth in apples/fruits and reduction of patulin contamination in fruitproducts, however, it remains as a major contamination problem in these products all around the world. The contamination of Patulinin apple and other fruit derived products could be prevented by using of various physical, chemical, and biological control methods.The preventive measures such as Good Pre-harvest and Post-harvest Practices in combination with processing hurdles could be the bestsolution to avoid the contamination. Researches and development to improve the current technologies, understanding and optimizationthe novel technologies also could serve the best solutions to eliminate the problem.