The identification of fungal specie presents in fruits and grains of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and the cultural characterization of the Aspergillus species are important for preventing micotoxin contamination of peanut products commercialized in natura or processed. The fungi Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, A. parasiticius, Fusarium verticillioides (= F. moniliforme), F. equiseti, Rhizopus stolonifer, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium italicum and Colletotrichum sp. were isolated from fruits and grains from peanut comercializated in natura or processed in the State of Alagoas, Brazil. The processed grains presented significantly less incidence of fungi than grains in natura mainly regarding to the species A. flavus, A. parasiticus, F. verticillioides and F. equiseti. Aspergillus species were identified based on cultural characteristics on Czapek-agar medium and morphological structures viewed under optical microscope. The development of each fungal species on potato-dextrose-agar (PDA) medium presented differences for colony rate of growth according to the fruits and grains samples from which were obtained.
Etiology; postharvest; grains pathology
