Composition and toxigenic potential of the mould population on dry-cured Iberian ham

The fungal population on dry-cured Iberian ham can be essential to the development of the product's unique characteristics, but health hazards due to mycotoxins may be significant. We examined the natural fungal population of Iberian hams during ripening at three different locations. Chloroform extracts from 59 selected isolates were tested for toxicity to brine shrimp larvae and VERO cells, for mutagenicity in the Ames test and for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The diversity of moulds increased during ripening. Penicillium commune, Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium expansum and Penicillium echinulatum dominated most of the ripening time; however, the Eurotium species, particularly E. herbariorum and E. repens, increased in the final product. Using the above tests, most moulds were toxigenic. The toxigenic potential of the fungal population increased as the processing progressed. To minimize health hazards from uncontrolled fungal populations, we identified non toxigenic strains of Penicillium chrysogenum that could be used as starters in dry-cured hams.