Chemoprospecting of secondary metabolites applied to the diversity of Aspergillus and Penicillium isolated from different Brazilian biomes

• Grant number: 24/10530-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Marta Hiromi Taniwaki
• Grantee: Mariana Corrêa de Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/12590-3 - Microbial biobanks: promoting innovations for scientific research and technological development (MicroBioBank), AP.TEM

Abstract

Brazil has a little explored biodiversity of Aspergillus and Penicillium species, species that can deteriorate food, produce mycotoxins and are exploited for biotechnological purposes. Knowledge of the distribution of fungal species in food can provide parameters for controlling and preventing the production of fungal toxins and, on the other hand, discover possible biotechnological potential. In this context, this postdoctoral internship proposal aims to verify the biodiversity of Aspergillus and Penicillium species isolated from different Brazilian biomes, through polyphasic taxonomy, in addition to prospecting the metabolome in the search for innovative biomolecules. The aim is to characterize and explore the diversity of a collection of Aspergillus (n=100) and Penicillium (n=50) isolates from different Brazilian biomes, maintained at the Institute of Food Technology (ITAL), in addition to identifying the metabolic profile of the selected species. The implementation of this project will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Fapesp MicroBioBank Thematic Project, through taxonomic elucidation, structuring of the Aspergillus and Penicillium extract library and DNA bank, as well as the organization, storage and dissemination of data associated with the fungi studied in public databases, including the production of compounds of biotechnological interest.