Reduction of Aspergillus parasiticus on hazelnut surface by UV‐C treatment

Summary The reduction in counts of Aspergillus spp. and aflatoxin production was assessed on hazelnuts after 254 nm UV‐C treatment. A 2 log reduction in Aspergillus spp. counts was observed after 2 h reperated UV‐C treatment on hazelnuts. Only one dose treatment of 6 h UV‐C was sufficient to yield nearly 25% reduction in aflatoxin B1 and G1, but this dose had no effect on aflatoxin B2 and G2. SDS‐PAGE of the crude extracellular protein isolated at different growth periods of A. parasiticus in liquid medium revealed production of twelve extracellular proteins starting from day 4 of inoculation, and all twelve proteins decreased after UV‐C radiation. No molecular changes in macromolecular components of hazelnut with UV‐C treatment were detected by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy.