Marine natural compounds can be efficient toward aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strain

Background The presence of high levels of aflatoxin is a serious problem to the production of raw peanuts and peanut crumbs. The high incidence of aflatoxin in peanuts in our country is mainly due to problems in primary production. High humidity and temperature conditions increase the likelihood of Aspergillus development and aflatoxins production, which is worsened during rainy weather [1]. Aflatoxins may remain in the food after the death of fungus without visible alterations [2]. The effects of aflatoxins on human and animal health, besides resistance of fungi to conventional antifungal agents has motived the search for new inhibitors. The research of marine natural products from sponges has been considered as a promising source for the development of new antifungal agents in order to discover compounds more effective and less toxic [3]. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of 21 marine natural compounds toward an aflatoxigenic A.flavus ATCC strains.