Abstract
Moulds and associated mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins, are important factors that advesely affect food and feed produced from contaminated plant and animal prodcuts. They are lethal to humans and animals, which emphasizes the great concern in food and feed production. In this study, the effects of baobab (<em>Adansonia digitata</em>) extracts on the vegetative growth and aflatoxin secretion by <em>A. flavus </em>(SQU21) and <em>A. parasiticus</em> (CBS921.7) strains were exzmined. Different concentrations of baobab fruit extract (1.5, 3, 5, and 7% w/v) and essential oil (0.5, 1, 3 and 5% v/v) was used. Fruit extract of baobab apparently inhibited the total aflatoxin secretion up to 20.4-68.5% for <em>A. flavus</em> and 11.9-69.1% for <em>A. parasiticus, </em>whereas the inhibition of aflatoxin B<sub>1 </sub>production ranged between 29.9-79.2% and 13-68% for the two strains, respectively. The highest inhibition levels of total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> secretion by <em>A. flavus</em> (47.2-95.7%; 28.1-89.7%) and <em>A. parasiticus </em>(42.7-93.3%; 25.9-80.2%) were obtained with essential oil extracted from baobab seeds. The two extracts significantly reduced the vegetative growth and the mycelial dry weights of selected fungi. This indicates the antifungal activity and inhibitory effect of baobab on the growth and aflatoxin production by the two toxigenic strains. Thus, fruit extract and essential oil of <em>A. digitata</em> can be suggested as potentially effective biocontrol and biopreservative substrates against food and feed contamination by aflatoxigenic moulds.
Highlights
Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) of the family Malvaceae is a large iconic deciduous and stem-succulent tree indigenous to the dry regions of Africa
Fruit extract of baobab apparently inhibited the total aflatoxin secretion up to 20.4-68.5% for A. flavus and 11.9-69.1% for A. parasiticus, whereas the inhibition of aflatoxin B1 production ranged between 29.9-79.2% and 13-68% for the two strains, respectively
Threrefore, it is possible that fruit and other extracts from A. digitata could reveal similar inhibitory effects on the fungal growth and aflatoxins secretion by the two aflatoxigenic strain of A. flavus and A. parasiticus
Summary
Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) of the family Malvaceae is a large iconic deciduous and stem-succulent tree indigenous to the dry regions of Africa. Different parts of the baobab tree have been reported to be useful and this has attracted the interest of pharmaceutical companies and scientists This is due to its various traditional uses as medicinal, nutritional and cosmetic plant (Igboeli, Addy, & Salami, 1997; Wickens & Lowe, 2008; Buchmann, Prechsler, Hartl, & Vogl, 2010; Kamatou et al, 2011). The dry pulp is commonly used to prepare fruit juice with higher levels of vitamin C than orange, and calcium than milk (Assogbadjo, Chadare, Kakari, Fandohan, & Baidu-Forson, 2012) Various plant parts such as leaves, bark, and fruit pulp have been traditionally used as immuno-stimulant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and pesticide, and in the treatment of fever, diarrhoea, cough, dysentery, haemoptysis, tuberculosis, microbial infection and worms
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