Diversity and source-tracking of spoilage molds in bakery products using MALDI-TOF MS and molecular approaches
Abstract
Filamentous fungi are significant contributors to global food losses and waste including bakery products. In the baking industry, mold contamination often occurs at the post-baking stage due to exposure to ambient air. The aim of this study was to investigate fungal diversity and to track the environmental sources of spoilage molds in finished products in a French industrial bakery plant, using MALDI-TOF MS and molecular approaches including barcoding and genotyping of microsatellites using next-generation sequencing (SSR-seq). Furthermore, we evaluated MALDI-TOF MS as a rapid tool for the source-tracking of two spoilage molds, i.e., Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Penicillium brevicompactum. Samples from air, food contact surfaces, work clothes and cakes were collected once every four weeks for 42 weeks on 1-4 consecutive days at 2 times. Results showed that areas with uncontrolled air quality such as the pre-baking area, had higher fungal loads compared to air-controlled areas such as post-baking zones. Products not sprayed with ethanol showed significantly higher mold contamination frequency highlighting the importance of surface treatment in reducing spoilage. Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Penicillium brevicompactum, known for their xerophilic and airborne dispersal capabilities, were identified as the main product spoilers. SSR-seq provided insights into the genetic diversity of these species and showed that certain haplotypes, particularly originating from post-baking areas, were more frequently found on spoiled cakes suggesting repeated contamination events from persistent sources. Using both unsupervised and supervised approaches, we showed that there was a good agreement between MALDI-TOF MS and genotyping data analysis at the population level. This study provides new insights into the fungal ecology encountered in the bakery industry.
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BibTeX
@article{rolland2026diversity,
title = {{Diversity and source-tracking of spoilage molds in bakery products using MALDI-TOF MS and molecular approaches}},
author = {Nolwenn Rolland and Jérôme Mounier and Mélanie Cadoret and Victoria Girard and Guillaume Perrin and Sylvie Tréguer and Océane Cloarec and Nicolas Nguyen van Long and Nicolas Nguyen van Long and Lionel Fiabane and Franck Deniel and Valérie Vasseur and Jean-Luc Jany},
journal = {International Journal of Food Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2026.111924},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05748537v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diversity and source-tracking of spoilage molds in bakery products using MALDI-TOF MS and molecular approaches
AU - Nolwenn Rolland
AU - Jérôme Mounier
AU - Mélanie Cadoret
AU - Victoria Girard
AU - Guillaume Perrin
AU - Sylvie Tréguer
AU - Océane Cloarec
AU - Nicolas Nguyen van Long
AU - Nicolas Nguyen van Long
AU - Lionel Fiabane
AU - Franck Deniel
AU - Valérie Vasseur
AU - Jean-Luc Jany
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
JO - International Journal of Food Microbiology
DO - 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2026.111924
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05748537v1
AB - Filamentous fungi are significant contributors to global food losses and waste including bakery products. In the baking industry, mold contamination often occurs at the post-baking stage due to exposure to ambient air. The aim of this study was to investigate fungal diversity and to track the environmental sources of spoilage molds in finished products in a French industrial bakery plant, using MALDI-TOF MS and molecular approaches including barcoding and genotyping of microsatellites using next-generation sequencing (SSR-seq). Furthermore, we evaluated MALDI-TOF MS as a rapid tool for the source-tracking of two spoilage molds, i.e., Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Penicillium brevicompactum. Samples from air, food contact surfaces, work clothes and cakes were collected once every four weeks for 42 weeks on 1-4 consecutive days at 2 times. Results showed that areas with uncontrolled air quality such as the pre-baking area, had higher fungal loads compared to air-controlled areas such as post-baking zones. Products not sprayed with ethanol showed significantly higher mold contamination frequency highlighting the importance of surface treatment in reducing spoilage. Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Penicillium brevicompactum, known for their xerophilic and airborne dispersal capabilities, were identified as the main product spoilers. SSR-seq provided insights into the genetic diversity of these species and showed that certain haplotypes, particularly originating from post-baking areas, were more frequently found on spoiled cakes suggesting repeated contamination events from persistent sources. Using both unsupervised and supervised approaches, we showed that there was a good agreement between MALDI-TOF MS and genotyping data analysis at the population level. This study provides new insights into the fungal ecology encountered in the bakery industry.
SN - 0168-1605
ER -