MYCOBIOTA IN PORTUGUESE NORMAL AND GREEN CORK THROUGHOUT THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF STOPPERS

The compounds responsible for the so-called 'cork taint' include, amon g others, some microbial metabolites which can be produced by the micr obial population colonizing the unprocessed cork and stoppers. This st udy was intended to obtain information on the mycobiota associated wit h Portuguese cork throughout the manufacturing process of stoppers. Sa mples of barks and stoppers of both 'normal' and 'green' cork were exa mined. Moulds were isolated from 'normal' and 'green' cork throughout the entire cork stopper manufacturing process. Yeasts were rarely dete cted in the corks. Fungal contamination was not detected in finished s toppers from the company under study.