Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a carcinogenic metabolite produced by certain Aspergillus species. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of saffron stigmas on A. parasiticus growth and AFB1 production in Yeast Extract Sucrose (YES) medium. AFB1 was extracted from cultures and purified with immunoaffinity columns followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to fluorescence detector (FL) analysis. Methods' recovery and limit of detection were 95.3% and 0.02 ng AFB1·ml–1 of YES respectively. Results indicated that AFB1 production in samples of YES inoculated with A. parasiticus after the addition of saffron dried stigmas (100 mg·flask–1) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to control samples (inoculated without the addition of saffron stigmas) throughout the entire incubation period (18 days), at the same time as mycelial growth was noticeable. In addition, mycelial growth was observed and AFB1 was detected, after the 7th day of observation in cultures with saffron alone. Maximum production was observed on the 12th day (0.018 μg AFB1·flask–1) and on the 9th day (0.051 μg AFB1·flask–1) for samples of YES with the addition of saffron inoculated with A. parasiticus and samples with saffron alone (non-inoculated), respectively. In control samples (inoculated without saffron) the maximum production on the same days 12 and 9 was 75.31 μg AFB1·flask–1 and 64 μg AFB1·flask–1 respectively. Conclusively when saffron was added to YES inoculated with A. parasiticus, AFB1 production decreased by 99.9% compared to control cultures without saffron addition. This inhibition can be attributed to the antioxidant capacity of saffron constituents.
Highlights
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins of great significance in foods and feeds and are mainly produced by Aspergillus (A) flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was extracted from cultures and purified with immunoaffinity columns followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to fluorescence detector (FL) analysis
Maximum production was observed on the 12th day (0.018 μg AFB1·flask–1) and on the 9th day (0.051 μg AFB1·flask–1) for samples of Yeast Extract Sucrose (YES) with the addition of saffron inoculated with A. parasiticus and samples with saffron alone, respectively
Summary
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins of great significance in foods and feeds and are mainly produced by Aspergillus (A) flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius. Saffron consists of dried stigmas of the herb Crocus sativus L. belonging to the Iridaceae family It is cultivated in Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain and France and in India and Iran [3]. It has been shown that the corm size, water availability and cultivation conditions have a significant effect on vegetative development of saffron. Extracts of several spices and herbs have been shown to reduce A. parasiticus growth and AFB1 production [12]. Essential oils have been considered to inhibit A. flavus growth and AFB1 production [13,14]. According to Igawa et al [16], in addition to production of inhibitors, the development of plants that can inhibit mycotoxins is a promising approach
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
