Abstract
Wheat may be infected by the aflatoxigenic mold Aspergillus flavus during pre- and post-harvest activities. Control strategies reported to manage aflatoxin contamination of wheat are expensive and require extensive testing to verify the absence of toxic secondary metabolites or newly formed compounds. The objective of this study was to develop an in vitro new control strategy based on assessing the influence of wheat husks on aflatoxin production by A. flavus in liquid culture. The results showed that aflatoxin production is significantly influenced by the existence of husks in the wheat forms used as carbon substrates according to the following order: full wheat grains < half-crushed wheat grains < wheat flour 82% < wheat flour 72%. By applying a fractional factorial design and a response surface methodology, maximum aflatoxin production (2.567 ng/mg) was predicted when wheat flour 72% (39 g/l) as a carbon source, yeast extract (5 g/l), and a 75-ml medium volume/250 ml flask were utilized. At this optimized condition, after addition of wheat husk extract, the growth and synthesis of aflatoxins of A. flavus were repressed by 74.85 and 98.72%, respectively. This finding paves the way to examine the antifungal potential of wheat husk constituents and to compare their efficacy with thyme, cinnamon, sweet basil, and coriander essential oils, which possess antimycotic activities. Accordingly, the wheat husk component SiO2 showed the highest growth inhibition (67.04%) and reduction of A. flavus aflatoxins (82.67%). These results are comparable to those obtained from various examined antimycotic essential oils.
Highlights
Wheat and wheat products are the main food for four billion people and constitute a major part of the daily human and animal diet
Aflatoxin production by A. flavus ranged from 0.69– 1.86, 0.85–2.17, 1.43–2.8, and 1.47–2.85 ng/mg when grown on full wheat grains, half-crushed wheat grains, flour 82% and flour 72%, respectively
At the end of the incubation period, the mycosynthesis of aflatoxins by A. flavus grown on flour 82 and 72% was higher than aflatoxins produced on full wheat grains and half-crushed wheat grains by approximately 132.2, 117.16, 145.88, and 129.28%, respectively
Summary
Wheat and wheat products are the main food for four billion people and constitute a major part of the daily human and animal diet. Effect of Wheat Husks on Aflatoxins Production. Mycotoxins are poisonous secondary metabolites produced by fungi, which are considered one of the most important risks associated with wheat consumption, leading to an annual loss of $932 million in stored grains (Cheli et al, 2017). Aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) and B2 (AFB2), produced typically by the virulent Aspergillus flavus, are the most serious mycotoxins affecting wheat (Bennett and Klich, 2003; Ayalew, 2010; Cheli et al, 2013). Aflatoxins have hepatotoxic, mutagenic, immunosuppressive, teratogenic, and carcinogenic effects on humans and animals (Bennett and Klich, 2003)
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