Mould thrives not only on food in the refrigerator – it can already infest the growing plant in the field or form during storage or processing of the crop. This is a major problem for agriculture, because moulds contain toxins that are not destroyed during food production. Even small amounts of these mycotoxins cause health problems for humans and animals: they can trigger allergies and, in some cases, even attack the central nervous system, weaken the immune system and be carcinogenic and mutagenic.

An interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg has set itself the task of improving the health protection of humans and animals against moulds. Under the direction of Leif-Alexander Garbe, Karl Steffens and Gerhard Flick, the OxiLiFungi project produces natural plant protection products (fungicides) under laboratory conditions for use in the field as well as for the storage and processing of food.

The research activities focus on natural fatty acids, particularly on the ingredient trihydroxy-octadecenoic acid (triOH), which some plants produce to defend themselves against harmful organisms. In the project, different variants of triOH are first produced and examined for their fungicidal effect, initially under laboratory conditions. For promising variants, procedures for series production are developed which can then be tested in field trials.

In agriculture, many synthetic fungicides are used which, in higher concentrations, can pose a risk to health and environment. The development of natural fungicides helps to reduce the exposure of the environment and consumers to chemical fungicides without sacrificing effective protection against fungal attack. This is particularly important for organic farms and the use in organic food.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is supporting the research project with about one million euros within the framework of the IngenieurNachwuchs funding line as part of the Research at Universities of Applied Sciences programme.