Aflatoxin can be degraded by the mycelium of aspergillus parasiticus

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Food Safety
• Toxicology

Background:

• Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species.
• Contamination of food and feed with aflatoxins poses significant health risks.
• Understanding aflatoxin degradation pathways is crucial for mitigation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the ability of Aspergillus parasiticus mycelium at different growth stages to degrade aflatoxins.
• To compare the degradation rates of aflatoxins by varying ages of mycelium.
• To assess the effect of pH on aflatoxin degradation by Aspergillus parasiticus.

Main Methods:

• Culturing a toxigenic strain of Aspergillus parasiticus to obtain mycelium at 4, 8, and 16 days of age.
• Incubating aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) with the different aged mycelia.
• Measuring aflatoxin degradation at pH 2.5 and 6.0.

Main Results:

• Four-day-old mycelium did not degrade aflatoxins.
• Eight- and 16-day-old mycelia degraded aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2.
• Sixteen-day-old mycelium exhibited more rapid aflatoxin degradation than 8-day-old mycelium.
• Aflatoxin degradation was comparable at pH 2.5 and 6.0.

Conclusions:

• Mycelial age is a critical factor in the aflatoxin degradation capability of Aspergillus parasiticus.
• Older mycelium demonstrates enhanced potential for aflatoxin bioremediation.
• pH has a minimal impact on the aflatoxin degradation activity of Aspergillus parasiticus mycelium within the tested range.