X-ray Irradiation Reduces Live <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> Viability but Not Aflatoxin B1 in Naturally Contaminated Maize.

ABSTRACT: Food crops around the world are commonly contaminated with Aspergillus flavus, which can produce the carcinogenic mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The objective of this study is to test an X-ray irradiation sterilization method for studying AFB1 in contaminated maize samples in the laboratory. Maize that had been naturally contaminated with 300 ppb AFB1 by the growth of aflatoxigenic A. flavus was ground and then irradiated at 0.0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 kGy. A. flavus was quantified by dilution plating on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and modified Rose Bengal media (MDRB) for viability and qPCR for gene presence. AFB1 was quantified by HPLC and ELISA. A. flavus viability, but not gene copies, significantly decreased with increasing doses of radiation (PDA: p

SUBMITTER: Glesener H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11359306 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature