بررسی آلودگی قارچی برنج مورد مصرف غذایی کشاورزان

Abstract Background and purpose: Rice is the staple food in Iran particularly in the northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran. It is, however, prone to mycoflora and mycotoxin production. This study was conducted to determine the contaminant mycoflora of rice grains in Mazandaran province, in order to use this information to consider possible mycotoxin occurrence in this area. Materials and methods: One hundred different rice bran samples intended for human consumption were collected from 100 various rice farmers of 15 randomly selected districts zones of Mazandaran province, during the months of August to November 2009. The surface of the grains (24) were sterilized by 1% sodium hypochlorite and they broke by sterile scalpel and plated (12 per plate) on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium containing chloramphenicol. Results: The contamination of all polished rice sampled in 2009 was 93%. Fungi genus detected, in order of frequency from the internal tissues of rice samples, were Aspergillus (43.96%), Cladosporium (13.96%0), Alternaria (10.21%), Rhodotorula (7.50%) and Penicillium (4.79%). The most common Aspergillus species identified was A. flavus species (57.9%). Conclusion: The presence of toxicogenic fungi such as Aspergillus sp, Alternaria sp, Penicillium sp. in rice can produce mycotoxins that may have an impact on the quality of rice and cause disorders in humans or animals. Screening the consumed rice grains for fungal contamination and mycotoxins before utilization as human food and animal feed is recommended.