Abstract
In the tropics and subtropics, maize (Zea mays) and other crops are frequently contaminated with aflatoxins by Aspergillus flavus. Treatment of crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol products can significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination. Treated crops contain up to 100% fewer aflatoxins compared with untreated crops. However, there is the notion that protecting crops from aflatoxin contamination may result in increased accumulation of other toxins, particularly fumonisins produced by a few Fusarium species. The objective of this study was to determine if treatment of maize with aflatoxin biocontrol products increased fumonisin concentration and fumonisin-producing fungi in grains. Over 200 maize samples from fields treated with atoxigenic biocontrol products in Nigeria and Ghana were examined for fumonisin content and contrasted with maize from untreated fields. Apart from low aflatoxin levels, most treated maize also harbored fumonisin levels considered safe by the European Union (<1 part per million; ppm). Most untreated maize also harbored equally low fumonisin levels but contained higher aflatoxin levels. In addition, during one year, we detected considerably lower Fusarium spp. densities in treated maize than in untreated maize. Our results do not support the hypothesis that treating crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus used in biocontrol formulations results in higher grain fumonisin levels.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.
Highlights
Aflatoxin contamination of maize (Zea mays) and other important crops by Aspergillus flavus is common in tropical and subtropical areas (Klich 2007)
16% of treated maize exceeded the 1-ppm tolerance threshold of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for maize intended for direct human consumption while 14% of the untreated maize exceeded that level
Two major concerns related to aflatoxin biocontrol and fumonisin contamination have been raised: First, aflatoxin biocontrol does not reduce fumonisin content, and this is a drawback of the technology (Pitt 2019); aflatoxin biocontrol is intended to control toxins produced by Aspergillus section Flavi, and not mycotoxins produced by other fungi
Summary
Aflatoxin contamination of maize (Zea mays) and other important crops by Aspergillus flavus is common in tropical and subtropical areas (Klich 2007). There are several management strategies that decrease contamination (Ayalew et al 2017; Hell et al 2008; JECFA 2018). One of those is the preharvest use of atoxigenic (i.e., non-toxin producing) isolates of A. flavus as biocontrol agents to displace aflatoxin producers in the field (Cotty 2006). The use of atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus in biocontrol products significantly reduces aflatoxin content (sometimes up to 100%) in treated crops compared with
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