Pilzliche Verderbsflora von Möhren aus ökologischer und konventioneller Erzeugung

We investigated the fungal spoilage of carrots grown by different cultivation methods and stored at 5 °C at high humidity for up to 7 months. For this purpose, we used both microscopic analysis of pure cultures and DNA-based, culture-independent methods, namely, Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) and Terminal Restriction Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP). Moreover, fungi were identified on the basis of the sequences of 18S rDNA fragments from SSCP gels and from pure cultures. Additional analytical parameters included firmness and growth of two fungal strains on experi-mentally inoculated carrots. Both microscopic and DNA-based methods revealed that spoiled carrots cultivated at different sites carried different fungal species. The ob-served spectrum of species depended on the identification method. Using culture-independent methods, we detected fungi (e.g. species of basidiomycetes) not found on carrots up to now. No significant effect of the method of carrot cultivation (organic vs. conventional) on fungal spoilage patterns was observed. Likewise, no clear rela-tion between sites and methods of carrot cultivation and firmness or growth of experi-mentally inoculated fungi was found.