Determination of The Antifungal Capacity of Kefir Components Against Spoilage Fungi

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential alternative use of kefir and its derived components in the biocontrol of fungi that cause economic losses during the harvesting and storage of fruits. The antifungal properties of kefir and its derived components (the non-protein liquid fraction of kefir, kefiran, and yeast cells isolated from kefir) were examined using the disk diffusion method, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against naturally occurring fungi during the storage of hazelnuts, oranges, and apples were determined. Fungal isolates obtained from different fruits were identified as Aspergillus niger, Penicillium digitatum, and Penicillium expansum through 18S rRNA Polymerase Chain Reaction. The inhibition zones of A. niger, P. digitatum, and P. expansum were evaluated using the disk diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for kefir against A. niger, P. digitatum, and P. italicum were found to be 0.4, 0.2, and 0.25 µg mL-1, respectively. The effectiveness of these applications was analyzed using a technique known as TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution). With the development of the results of this study, alternative biocontrol applications using kefir and its components could be developed to prevent fungi-related microbial spoilage, providing an alternative to chemical treatments.

Keywords

• Kefir
• kefiran
• Aspergillus niger
• Penicillium digitatum
• Penicillium expansum

Kefir Bileşenlerinin Bozulma Küflerine Karşı Antifungal Kapasitesi

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, kefir ve ondan elde edilen bileşenlerin, meyvelerin hasat ve depolanması sırasında ekonomik kayıplara yol açan küflerin biyokontrolünde alternatif kullanım potansiyelini araştırmaktır. kefir ve kefirden elde edilen bileşenler (kefirin protein olmayan sıvısı, kefiran ve kefirden izole edilen maya hücreleri) antifungal özelliklerinin etkisi disk difüzyon ile araştırılmış ve fındık, portakal ve elmanın depolanması sırasında doğal olarak üreyen küflere karşı minimum inhibitör konsantrasyon belirlenmiştir. Farklı meyvelerden elde edilen küf izolatları 18S RNA Polimeraz Zincir Reaksiyonu ile Aspergillus niger, Penicillium digitatum ve Penicillium expansum olarak tanımlanmıştır. A.niger, P. digitatum ve P. expansum küflerin inhibisyon zonları disk difüzyon yöntemi ile değerlendirilmiştir. Kefirin A. niger, P. digitatum ve P. italicum için minimum inhibitör konsantrasyonları (MIC) sırasıyla 0.4, 0.2 ve 0.25 µg mL-1 olmuştur. Bu uygulamaların etkinliği, TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) analizi olarak bilinen teknik kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın sonuçlarının geliştirilmesi ile, küf kaynaklı mikrobiyal bozulmaların önlenmesi için kefir ve kefirden elde edilen bileşikler kullanılarak kimyasal uygulamalara alternatif biyokontrol uygulamaları geliştirilmesi önerilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kefir
• kefiran
• Aspergillus niger
• Penicillium digitatum
• Penicillium expansum

Kaynakça

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