Monitoring and Determination of Fungi and Mycotoxins in Stored Brazil Nuts

2013 ◽  
Vol 76 (8) ◽  
pp. 1414-1420 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARIANNE COSTA BAQUIÃO ◽  
MAITÊ M. M. DE OLIVEIRA ◽  
TATIANA A. REIS ◽  
PATRÍCIA ZORZETE ◽  
DANIELLE D. ATAYDE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cyclopiazonic Acid ◽  
Aflatoxin Production ◽  
Brazil Nut ◽  
Brazil Nuts ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Penicillium Spp ◽  
Aspergillus Section

Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) is an important commodity from the Brazilian Amazon, and approximately 37,000 tons (3.36 × 107 kg) of Brazil nuts are harvested each year. However, substantial nut contamination by Aspergillus section Flavi occurs, with subsequent production of mycotoxins. In this context, the objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the presence of fungi and mycotoxins (aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid) in 110 stored samples of cultivated Brazil nut (55 samples of nuts and 55 samples of shells) collected monthly for 11 months in Itacoatiara, State of Amazonas, Brazil. The samples were inoculated in duplicate onto Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus agar and potato dextrose agar for the detection of fungi, and the presence of mycotoxins was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The most prevalent fungi in nuts and shells were Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., and Penicillium spp. A polyphasic approach was used for identification of Aspergillus species. Aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid were not detected in any of the samples analyzed. The low water activity of the substrate was a determinant factor for the presence of fungi and the absence of aflatoxin in Brazil nut samples. The high frequency of isolation of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus section Flavi strains, mainly A. flavus, and their persistence during storage increase the chances of aflatoxin production on these substrates and indicates the need for good management practices to prevent mycotoxin contamination in Brazil nuts.

Identification and characterization of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus Section Flavi by polyphase approach from Brazil nuts produced in agroforesty production system

2019 ◽  
pp. 768
Author(s):  
Maria do Socorro Souza Ribeiro ◽  
Silvia Helena Marques da Silva ◽  
Otniel Freitas- Silva ◽  
Laura Figueiredo Abreu ◽  
Consuelo Lúcia Sousa de Lima
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Identification ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Brazil Nut ◽  
Brazil Nuts ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Aspergillus Nomius ◽  
Aspergillus Section

Brazil nut is an Amazonian raw material with a fundamental role in the socioeconomic organization of the extractive areas of the Legal Amazon Brazil's largest socio-geographical division, composed of nine states are part of the Amazon basin. However, due to the precarious conditions of storage and processing, the nut is frequently subjected to contamination by aflatoxigenic fungi. These fungal species have high similarity, which makes it difficult to identify them only by traditional methods. This research had as objective the identification of a species of Aspergillus Flavi isolated from Brazil nut samples, through the polyphase approach. To identify the fungal isolate, macromorphological and micromorphological characterization techniques by microcultive in a slide  were used; The molecular identification followed by sequencing compared the nucleotide sequences with the GenBank database, the aflatoxigenic  potential of the strain was evaluated by HPLC. According to the results, the macromorphological and micromorphological analysis showed color characteristics and reproductive structures typical of the genus Aspergillus and the Flavi section. However, only from the results of molecular identification in which the strain showed 100% similarity with Aspergillus nomius and the metabolic production profile in which the species was producing the 4 types of aflatoxins (AFG2= 1177,23, AFG1 = 2458, 90, AFB2 = 860,23, AFB1 = 2370,06) it was possible to carry out the correct identification of the fungus as Aspergillus nomius. The combination of different techniques for identification of the strain Aspergillus section Flavi allowed a more accurate characterization.  The identification of strain as Aspergillus nomius with aflatoxigenic potential in Brazil nuts confirms the affinity of these microorganisms for this substrate.  

scholarly journals Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Rice Intended for Infant Flour Production in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Hamidou Compaoré ◽  
Serge Samandoulougou ◽  
Clarisse S. Compaoré ◽  
Alima Bambara ◽  
Hissein Ratongué ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Fluorescence Emission ◽  
Ultra Violet ◽  
Aflatoxin Production ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Aflatoxin B2 ◽  
Flour Production ◽  
Aspergillus Section

A total of four samples of rice intended for infant flour production in Ouagadougou were received at the Physico-chemistry laboratory of Food Technology Department (DTA) for quality control. The latter were also tested for Aspergillus section Flavi presence and analyzed for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 content using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Among the twenty (20) strains of mold isolated from these samples, three Aspergillus section Flavi were obtained and cultivated in “Aspergillus flavus and parasiticus Agar (AFPA)” to ascertain if they belong to Aspergillus flavus or Aspergillus parasiticus species. The qualitative ability of aflatoxin production was also performed by fluorescence emission under ultra violet light at 365 nm after four days of incubation at 30 °C on Coconut Agar Medium (CAM). Statistical analysis results showed that 75% of samples were contaminated with total aflatoxins (AFs) with contents ranging from 0.54 ± 0.06 to 2.40 ± 0.07 µg/Kg. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) were detected in two contaminated samples. AFB1 had the highest concentration as compared with other aflatoxins. A significant level of contamination (p< 0.0001) was observed in sample R441 compared to other sample types.

A Survey on Distribution of Aspergillus Section Flavi in Corn Field Soils in Iran: Population Patterns Based on Aflatoxins, Cyclopiazonic Acid and Sclerotia Production

2006 ◽  
Vol 161 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh ◽  
Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi ◽  
Abdolamir Allameh ◽  
Amirmohammad Kazeroon-Shiri ◽  
Shahrokh Ranjbar-Bahadori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cyclopiazonic Acid ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Corn Field ◽  
Field Soils ◽  
Population Patterns ◽  
Aspergillus Section

scholarly journals Aflatoxin Contamination of Dried Insects and Fish in Zambia

2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 1508-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAUL W. KACHAPULULA ◽  
JULIET AKELLO ◽  
RANAJIT BANDYOPADHYAY ◽  
PETER J. COTTY
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Aflatoxin Production ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Food Contaminants ◽  
Edible Insect ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Regulatory Limits ◽  
Data Gaps ◽  
Dried Fish ◽  
Aspergillus Section

ABSTRACT Dried insects and fish are important sources of income and dietary protein in Zambia. Some aflatoxin-producing fungi are entomopathogenic and also colonize insects and fish after harvest and processing. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic, immune-suppressing mycotoxins that are frequent food contaminants worldwide. Several species within Aspergillus section Flavi have been implicated as causal agents of aflatoxin contamination of crops in Africa. However, aflatoxin producers associated with dried fish and edible insects in Zambia remain unknown, and aflatoxin concentrations in these foods have been inadequately evaluated. The current study sought to address these data gaps to assess potential human vulnerability through the dried fish and edible insect routes of aflatoxin exposure. Caterpillars (n = 97), termites (n = 4), and dried fish (n = 66) sampled in 2016 and 2017 were assayed for aflatoxin by using lateral flow immunochromatography. Average aflatoxin concentrations exceeded regulatory limits for Zambia (10 μg/kg) in the moth Gynanisa maja (11 μg/kg), the moth Gonimbrasia zambesina (Walker) (12 μg/kg), and the termite Macrotermes falciger (Gerstacker) (24 μg/kg). When samples were subjected to simulated poor storage, aflatoxins increased (P &lt; 0.001) to unsafe levels in caterpillars (mean, 4,800 μg/kg) and fish (Oreochromis) (mean, 23 μg/kg). The L strain morphotype of A. flavus was the most common aflatoxin producer on dried fish (88% of Aspergillus section Flavi), termites (68%), and caterpillars (61%), with the exception of Gynanisa maja, for which A. parasiticus was the most common (44%). Dried fish and insects supported growth (mean, 1.3 × 109 CFU/g) and aflatoxin production (mean, 63,620 μg/kg) by previously characterized toxigenic Aspergillus section Flavi species, although the extent of growth and aflatoxigenicity depended on specific fungus-host combinations. The current study shows the need for proper storage and testing of dried insects and fish before consumption as measures to mitigate human exposure to aflatoxins through consumption in Zambia.

scholarly journals Polyphasic approach to the identification of Aspergillus section Flavi isolated from Brazil nuts

2013 ◽  
Vol 139 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 1127-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianne Costa Baquião ◽  
Maitê Martins Melo de Oliveira ◽  
Tatiana Alves Reis ◽  
Patricia Zorzete ◽  
Danielle Diniz Atayde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polyphasic Approach ◽  
Brazil Nuts ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Aspergillus Section

Fungal screening and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus section Flavi isolated from pre-harvest maize ears grown in two Argentine regions

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris X. Camiletti ◽  
Ada K. Torrico ◽  
M. Fernanda Maurino ◽  
Diego Cristos ◽  
Carina Magnoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aflatoxin Production ◽  
Aspergillus Section Flavi ◽  
Aspergillus Section

scholarly journals Occurrence of Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus Species in Various Varieties of Peanuts Produced in Western Kenya

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menza C. Nelson ◽  
Muturi W. Margaret ◽  
Lucy Kamau
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Aspergillus Parasiticus ◽  
Cyclopiazonic Acid ◽  
Aspergillus Species ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Central District ◽  
Aspergillus Section

Aflatoxin contaminates foods including peanuts. Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic toxin mainly produced bty Aspergillus flavus. Other Aspergillus species that rarely produce aflatoxins are A. nomius and A. niger. Aflatoxin is associated with liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and death. Recent studies have shown that peanuts in Kenya are highly contaminated with aflatoxins but information gaps exist on the characterization of the Aspergillus species that produce aflatoxins in peanuts in Kenya. Therefore, this gap necessitated the determination of the Aspergillus species producing aflatoxins in peanuts from the main growing districts of Busia and Kisii Central districts. One hundred and two (102) peanuts samples were collected from farmers&rsquo; in each district Aspergillus species were isolated from the peanut samples by using the dilution plate technique on modified Rose Bengal agar. Phenotypical characterization of the identified Aspergillus section flavus isolates from the peanuts samples was determined using the procedure of Mellon and Cotty. This study identified five (5) Aspergillus species as contaminants in peanuts analyzed in this study. They were Aspergillus flavus L-strain, Aspergillus flavus S-strain, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus tamari. Overall, the occurrence of Aspergillus flavus L- strain and A. flavus S- strain were significantly higher than other species identified (H = 15.55, df = 4, P = 0.004) in peanuts from the two districts. However, A. flavus S-strain was the most dominant species identified in the study with a mean occurrence of 45.1%. Aspergillus flavus L- strain was the most common isolate (58.8%) in peanuts from Busia district while A. flavus S- strain was the most common strain (60.2%) in peanuts from Kisii Central district. Overall, the occurrence of Aspergillus flavus L strain and A. flavus S strain were significantly higher than other species identified (H = 15.55, df = 4, P = 0.004) in peanuts from the two districts. However, A. flavus S-strain was the most dominant species (F=3.15, df =25, P=0.031) with an overall mean occurrence of 45.1%. The confirmation of occurrence of other species that produce toxins such as A. niger and A. tamarii which also produces cyclopiazonic acid suggests the need to screen peanuts for other carcinogenic mycotoxins.

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