Pulsed light causes structural damage and proteomic alterations in Aspergillus brasiliensis conidia

Aspergillus brasiliensis conidia are highly resistant fungal contaminants relevant to food-processing environments. Pulsed light (PL) is a non-thermal technology used for surface decontamination; however, its intracellular effects on fungal spores remain poorly understood. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with shotgun proteomics was used to investigate the impact of a 1.24 J cm^-2 PL treatment on A. brasiliensis DSM 1988 conidia. SEM revealed marked structural damage to the surface of conidia exposed to PL, including surface perforations and extracellular material suggestive of leakage of intracellular contents. Proteomic analysis revealed a significant decrease in the abundance of 36 proteins, notably catalases, laccase, proteins involved in vesicle trafficking and DNA maintenance processes. These findings indicate that PL affects not only the conidial surface but also intracellular protein networks. To our knowledge, this study provides the first proteomic characterization of PL-treated conidia and offers molecular-level insight into PL-induced damage relevant to food decontamination.