Detection of Aspergillus carbonarious and other black aspergilli from grapes by DNA OLISATM microarray.

Black Aspergilli, and particularly A. carbonarius, are esponsible for ochratoxin A production in grapes. Correct identification of these species is essential for risk assessment of grape and wine. Most of the available methods for identification are time consuming and need of specialists. Microarray technology offers quick and parallel analysis of a various DNA targets. In this study a new type of low-complexity oligonucleotide microarray - OLISATM OLIgo Sorbent Arrays (APIBIO) - was designed for Aspergillus carbonarius, A. japonicus/A. aculeatus and A. ibericus, based on the sequences of calmodulin gene. The array could be used to detect individual Aspergillus species in colture as well as in naturally contaminated grape samples.