Curcumin-Mediated Photosensitization for Controlling Fungal Growth and Associated Mycotoxin Production

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of curcumin-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) on antifungal properties and its effect on mycotoxin production. Initially, the average particle size of 10 nm of a stable curcumin nanoemulsion was formed. The application of a 3 mM curcumin nanoemulsion with light illumination significantly reduced spore germination of two F. graminearum isolates, 10–124–1 and 10–125–1, by 75% and 73%, respectively, due to a significant loss of the cytoplasmic matrix in the spores. Moreover, application of 3 mM curcumin-mediated PDI led to a significant decrease in mycotoxin production. Further studying the regulation of the essential encoding genes (Tri3, Tri4, and Tri5) during the deoxynivalenol biosynthesis pathway, we found that all Tri genes significantly (p < 0.05) up-regulated all tested genes in isolate 10–124–1, while downregulating these genes in isolate 10–125–1. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential application of curcumin as a PS in the preservation of cereal grains.