Potential of aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus flavus strains on commercially important food grains

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the potential of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production by five Aspergillus flavus strains previously isolated from sorghum grains on cereals (barley, maize, rice, wheat and sorghum), oilseeds (peanuts and sesame) and pulses (greengram and horsegram). Five strains of A. flavus were inoculated on all food grains and incubated at 25 °C for 7 days; AFB1 was extracted and estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All A. flavus strains produced AFB1 on all food grains ranging from 245.4 to 15 645.2 μg kg−1. Of the five strains tested, strain Af 003 produced the highest amount of AFB1 on all commodities ranging from 2245.2 to 15 645.2 μg kg−1. Comparatively, the AFB1 accumulation was high on rice grains ranging from 3125.2 to 15 645.2 μg kg−1, followed by peanuts ranging from 2206.2 to 12 466.5 μg kg−1. Less AFB1 accumulation was observed in greengram and sesame seeds ranging from 645.8 to 2245.2 and 245.4 to 2890.6 μg kg−1, respectively. Our results showed that all food grains tested are susceptible to A. flavus growth and subsequent AFB1 production.