Mycobiota and Their Mycotoxins in Egyptian Dried Figs

This study evaluates the impact of traditional sun drying and modern industrial drying techniques on fungal contamination and mycotoxin production in dried figs. A total of 80 samples (40 per drying method), collected from various retail sources in Upper Egypt, were analyzed. Fungal isolation was performed on Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol agar medium and incubated at 28°C. Sun-dried figs exhibited significantly higher fungal loads (1395 colony-forming unit [CFU]/g) compared with industrially dried figs (750 CFU/g). Mycobiota analysis identified 33 fungal species across 12 genera in sun-dried figs, whereas industrial drying yielded 21 species. Internal transcribed spacer sequencing facilitated species identification, with accession numbers PV065865 to PV065896 deposited in GenBank. Aspergillus spp. were dominant in both drying methods, with Aspergillus welwitschiae, A. flavus, and A. niger being the most prevalent. Mycotoxin analysis revealed aflatoxin contamination in 37.5% of sun-dried and 15% of industrially dried figs, while ochratoxin A was detected in 57.5% and 27.5% of samples, respectively, for sun-dried and industrially dried figs. Total fumonisins were present in 12.5% of sun-dried and 5% of industrially dried figs. These findings highlight the efficacy of industrial drying techniques in mitigating fungal contamination and mycotoxin accumulation, thereby improving the microbiological safety of dried figs.