The Prevalence of Aflatoxinogenic Aspergillus parasiticus in Jordan
Nisreen Al-Hmoud1, Mohammed A Ibrahim, Hiyam Al-Rousan
1Biosafety Unit, Royal Scientific Society, P.O. Box 1438, Amman 11941, Jordan.
Abstract:
Aflatoxins are potent carcinogens and produced by almost all Aspergillus parasiticus isolates and about 35% of Aspergillus flavus isolates. Chemical methods are used for detection of aflatoxins in food and feed. These methods cannot detect aflatoxinogenic fungi in samples, which contain undetectable amounts of aflatoxins. The objective of this research work was to ascertain the importance of molecular and microbiological methods in detection of aflatoxinogenic fungus A. parasiticus in food and feed samples in Jordan. Specific media for the detection of aflatoxins showed the prevalence of A. parasiticus (6-22%) in contaminated food and feed samples. HPLC method confirmed the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in food sample contaminated with A. parasiticus. Primer set OmtBII-F and OmtBII-R amplified DNA fragment of 611 base pairs from genomic DNA of aflatoxinogenic A. parasiticus isolated from food and feed samples but could not amplify DNA fragment of nonaflatoxinogenic A. flavus. The results of this study showed the prevalence of aflatoxinogenic A. parasiticus in food and feed samples in Jordan and give further evidence of suitability of microbiological and molecular methods in detection of aflatoxins, which are reliable low-cost approach to determine food and feed biosafety.
Insights
This study highlights the prevalence of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus parasiticus in Jordanian food and feed. Microbiological and molecular methods offer reliable, low-cost detection of these fungi, ensuring food safety.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Mycology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Aflatoxins are potent carcinogens produced by Aspergillus species.
- Current chemical detection methods for aflatoxins cannot identify the producing fungi.
- There is a need for methods to detect aflatoxinogenic fungi in food and feed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate molecular and microbiological methods for detecting aflatoxinogenic Aspergillus parasiticus in food and feed samples in Jordan.
- To assess the prevalence of A. parasiticus in contaminated food and feed.
- To confirm the presence of aflatoxins using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
Main Methods:
- Isolation and identification of fungi on specific media.
- Detection of aflatoxins using HPLC.
- Molecular detection using primer set OmtBII-F and OmtBII-R for amplifying DNA fragments from A. parasiticus.
Main Results:
- A. parasiticus prevalence ranged from 6-22% in contaminated food and feed samples.
- HPLC confirmed the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2.
- Molecular methods successfully amplified a 611 bp DNA fragment from aflatoxinogenic A. parasiticus, distinguishing it from non-aflatoxinogenic A. flavus.
Conclusions:
- Aflatoxinogenic A. parasiticus is prevalent in food and feed samples in Jordan.
- Microbiological and molecular methods are suitable for detecting aflatoxinogenic fungi.
- These methods provide a reliable and low-cost approach for ensuring food and feed biosafety.
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