Abstract: In this study, 56 hawthorn samples collected from three regions in Shanxi Province (Jiangxian, Taigu, and Wenxi) were analyzed for the composition of fungal community and its association with the accumulation of various mycotoxins using Illumina high-throughput sequencing and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The results showed that the structure of the fungal community on hawthorn fruit was similar across different production regions, although differences in the relative abundance of fungi were observed. The fungal community was predominantly composed of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota at the phylum level, with Alternaria and Fusarium being the core toxigenic genera. A total of six mycotoxins were detected: tentoxin, enniatins A, A1, B, B1, and alternariol. Among these, tentoxin showed the highest detection rate (12.5%), while enniatin B was detected at the highest level of 67.3 μg/kg. Notably, 50% of the contaminated samples showed co-occurrence of multiple mycotoxins. Correlation analysis indicated that the relative abundance of Fusarium was highly significantly positively correlated with the concentrations of the four enniatins, and the relative abundance of Alternaria was highly significantly positively correlated with tentoxin concentration (P < 0.001). In conclusion, Alternaria and Fusarium are the key biological sources responsible for mycotoxin contamination in hawthorn fruit from Shanxi Province. Monitoring and controlling their colonization and abundance on the fruit is a core strategy for mitigating toxin risks at the source. This study provides a theoretical basis for the risk assessment of mycotoxins in hawthorn fruit and the development of green control technologies based on the regulation of the fungal community.

Key words: hawthorn; fungal community; mycotoxin; correlation analysis