Survey of Penicillia associated with Italian grana cheese

The presentwork aimed to contribute information on the mycobiota associated with ripening grana cheese,with\r\nfocus on the genus Penicilliumas potential mycotoxin producers. Eighteenwheels of grana cheese, aged in different\r\nstorehouses situated in Northern Italy, were sampled to isolate associated fungi. Penicillium spp. were commonly\r\ndominant; morphological observation and gene sequencing were applied to identify Penicillium at\r\nspecies level. P. crustosum and P. solitum were the dominant species. Citrinin and ochratoxin A mycotoxins\r\nwere analysed and the latter was found in all grana cheese samples. These results confirmed that a polyphasic\r\napproach is mandatory for Penicillium identification at species level.