Isolation and Identification of Some contaminant fungi and Detection of Aflatoxin in flour and produced bread and loaf in Duhok city

Abstract

This study aimed to isolate and detect some contaminant fungi and its produced mycotoxins on flour and its produced bread and loaf in Duhok city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, This study included samples of local and imported flour (White & Black), and also the produced bread and loaf.
 The study showed different species of contaminant fungi , and the fungus Aspergillus flavus was the dominant fungus, which isolated from both the local black flour and Iranian black flour, and fungus Penicillium sp, which isolated from both the local white flour and Iranian black flour, then fungus A.niger, which isolated from Iranian black flour only, and all the samples of produced bread and loaf were free from any contaminant fungi.
 Investigation of effect of temperature degrees and cultures media on growth of the isolated fungi from flour samples, its cultured characteristics and microscopic picture, showed that this fungus is A.flavus, and there are two isolates (7,9) produced aflatoxin, which are local black flour and black Iranian flour respectively, but agreed with the allowed limits of World Health Organization.