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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Aflatoxin belongs to a group of fungal toxins known as mycotoxins. It poses a potential threat to food safety. As aflatoxin is epidemiologically implicated as carcinogen in humans and an environmental contaminant which is widespread in nature, its possible chronic toxicity is therefore of greater concern than acute toxicity. It is a secondary metabolite produced by specific strains of Aspergillus. Aflatoxin is classified into a number of subtypes. However, the most important ones are B1, B2, G1 and G2, distinguished by their fluorescence colour under ultraviolet light. In the present investigation the influence of microbial interactions on growth and aflatoxin production by a toxigenic strain of Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL2999 in vitro was studied. The results clearly indicated that all the fifteen types of interacting fungi were found to inhibit growth and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 production by Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL2999 strain but the intensity was variable. It is evident that 1ml of culture filtrate of Alternaria alternata, A. brassicae, Helminthosporium sativum, Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium herbarum, Fusarium moniliforme, Penicillium citrinum, Mucor mucedo, Rhizopus stolonifer and R. nigricans was found to be highly inhibitory to growth of A. parasiticus NRRL2999 that caused 57.47% to 76.55% inhibition. The results confirm that all the fifteen interacting fungi viz. Aspergillus niger, A. sydowi, Alternaria alternata, A. brassicae, Curvularia lunata, Geotrichum candidum, Monilia sitophila, Helminthosporium sativum, Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium herbarum, Fusarium moniliforme, Penicillium citrinum, Mucor mucido, Rhizopus nigricans and Rhizopus stolonifer are the best biological agents to inhibit growth and Aflatoxin production ability of Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL2999 strain.