Insights into PUFA and oxylipin production from incubation of Aspergillus novoparasiticus in sugarcane juice

Understanding the metabolism of toxigenic fungi in food is crucial for public health. Fungi of the Aspergillus section Flavi are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, infecting and producing mycotoxins in peanuts, nuts, cereals, and fruits. Classical Molecular Networking on the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform was applied to organize and guide the analysis of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and oxylipins, which are strongly associated with chemical communication between fungi and host plants during infection. Dereplication and molecular networking enabled visualization of the metabolome of A. novoparasiticus (ITAL-Y174 strain) incubated in sugarcane juice to mimic the fungal chemical response to plant lipids. The ITAL-Y174 strain produced PUFAs that differed from those of sugarcane. Oxylipins were detected early in the incubation (PGE1, 9,10-DiHOME, 13S-HODE). No known mycotoxins for A. novoparasiticus were detected, and kojic acid was identified, indicating a novel pathway to produce this important industrial natural product.