BACKGROUND There are many contaminants like aflatoxin present in food products. Aflatoxin in comparison to many other contaminants is very toxic and also carcinogenic. There are reports of outbreak of aflatoxin toxicity in many parts of the world. AIM To find out the level of aflatoxin in common food and feed. SETTING The study was conducted in 16 districts of the Eastern region of Nepal. ...

Aflatoxins contaminate approximately 25% of agricultural products worldwide. They can cause liver failure and liver cancer. Kenya has experienced multiple aflatoxicosis outbreaks in recent years, often resulting in fatalities. However, the full extent of aflatoxin exposure in Kenya has been unknown. Our objective was to quantify aflatoxin exposure across Kenya. We analysed aflatoxin levels in s...

Traditional molecular techniques have been used in research in discovering the genes and enzymes that are involved in aflatoxin formation and genetic regulation. We cloned most, if not all, of the aflatoxin pathway genes. A consensus gene cluster for aflatoxin biosynthesis was discovered in 2005. The factors that affect aflatoxin formation have been studied. In this report, the author summarize...

The aqueous flower extract of Cassia alata Linn. (Family-Caesalpiniaceae) was investigated for antifungal activity by agar diffusion method against three distinct groups of fungi, viz. aflatoxin producing fungi, Aspergillus flavus (NCBT 101) and A. parasiticus (NCBT 128); plant pathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum ( NCBT 156 ) and Helminthosporium oryzae (NCBT 165); and human pathogenic fungi C...

Probable factors influencing resistance to aflatoxin synthesis in soybeans have been investigated by using cultures of Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 3240. Soybeans contain a small amount of zinc (0.01 mug/g) bound to phytic acid. Autoclaving soybeans at 15 pounds (6803.88 g) for 15 min increases the aflatoxin production, probably by making zinc available. Addition of zinc to both autoclaved and ...

Exposure to aflatoxin, a mycotoxin common in many foods, has been associated with child growth impairment in sub-Saharan Africa. To improve our understanding of growth impairment in relation to aflatoxin and other risk factors, we assessed biospecimens collected in Nepalese children at 15, 24, and 36 months of age for aflatoxin exposure. Children (N = 85) enrolled in the Bhaktapur, Nepal MAL-ED...

Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, occur naturally in maize. Contamination of maize grain with aflatoxin is a major food and feed safety problem and greatly reduces the value of the grain. Plant resistance is generally considered a highly desirable approach to reduction or elimination of aflatoxin in maize grain. In this investigation, a diallel cross was produced by crossin...

Aspergillus jlavus and Aspergillus niger commonly co-occur in preharvest maize and one report suggests that this association promotes a greater incidence of aflatoxin. Other studies have shown that Aspergillus niger can prevent, or substantially reduce, aflatoxin formation by Aspergillus jlavus in autoclaved maize kernels, and this led us to examine the effect of A. niger on aflatoxin formation...

A total of 548 raw milk samples were collected in the western, central and eastern regions of Croatia during February and March 2015. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) concentrations were quantified by the enzyme immunoassay method. The method limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 22.2 and 34.2 ng/kg, respectively. The mean AFM1 levels measured in the three regions were (ng/kg) as follows: ...