Aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus from food samples in Nepal.

IF 1.9 Q4 MICROBIOLOGY

Iranian Journal of Microbiology Pub Date : 2026-02-01 DOI:10.18502/ijm.v18i1.20942

Suprina Sharma, Dev Raj Joshi, Pramod Poudel, Supriya Sharma, Tika Bahadur Karki, Reshma Tuladhar

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Abstract

Background and objectives: Maize and peanuts, staple foods in Nepal, are highly susceptible to fungal contamination, particularly with aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus. This study aimed to detect aflatoxin-producing A. flavus in maize and peanut samples collected from different regions of Nepal.

Materials and methods: A total of 80 maize and 20 peanut samples were collected randomly from markets and households. Disinfected samples were inoculated on Potato Dextrose Agar and incubated at 28°C for 48 hours. A. flavus was identified by conventional cultural methods. Aflatoxin production was screened on Aspergillus Differential Medium (ADM) and confirmed through Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Results: Fungal contamination was detected in 67.0% of samples, with a significantly higher rate in household-stored samples (p = 0.00039). A. flavus was the predominant species, particularly in maize (72.5%). Of 50 A. flavus isolates, 15 (30%) were aflatoxin positive on ADM, with 11 (73.3%) being confirmed by TLC. HPLC revealed AFB1 as the most prevalent in both maize and peanuts, while AFB2 was restricted to maize.

Conclusion: Maize and peanuts are highly susceptible to contamination with aflatoxin producing A. flavus in Nepal, particularly in household-stored samples, emphasizing significant food safety concerns.

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在尼泊尔食物样本中发现产生黄曲霉毒素的黄曲霉。

背景和目的：玉米和花生是尼泊尔的主食，极易受到真菌污染，特别是产生黄曲霉毒素的黄曲霉。本研究旨在检测从尼泊尔不同地区收集的玉米和花生样品中产生黄曲霉毒素的黄曲霉。材料与方法：从市场和农户随机抽取玉米80份、花生20份。将消毒后的样品接种于马铃薯葡萄糖琼脂上，28℃孵育48小时。黄曲霉采用常规培养方法进行鉴定。筛选了曲霉鉴别培养基（Aspergillus Differential Medium， ADM）上黄曲霉毒素的产率，并通过薄层色谱（TLC）和高效液相色谱（HPLC）进行了验证。结果：67.0%的样品检出真菌污染，其中家庭存放的样品检出真菌污染的比例显著高于家庭存放的样品（p = 0.00039）。黄曲霉为优势种，尤以玉米为优势种（72.5%）。50株黄曲霉分离株中，ADM检测黄曲霉毒素阳性15株（30%），TLC检测证实黄曲霉毒素阳性11株（73.3%）。高效液相色谱法显示AFB1在玉米和花生中最普遍，而AFB2仅限于玉米。结论：在尼泊尔，玉米和花生极易受到产生黄曲霉毒素的黄曲霉污染，特别是在家庭储存的样品中，这强调了重大的食品安全问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Iranian Journal of Microbiology MICROBIOLOGY-

CiteScore

2.40

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Iranian Journal of Microbiology (IJM) is an international, multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that provides rapid publication of the most advanced scientific research in the areas of basic and applied research on bacteria and other micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, microalgae, and protozoa concerning the development of tools for diagnosis and disease control, epidemiology, antimicrobial agents, clinical microbiology, immunology, Genetics, Genomics and Molecular Biology. Contributions may be in the form of original research papers, review articles, short communications, case reports, technical reports, and letters to the Editor. Research findings must be novel and the original data must be available for review by the Editors, if necessary. Studies that are preliminary, of weak originality or merely descriptive as well as negative results are not appropriate for the journal. Papers considered for publication must be unpublished work (except in an abstract form) that is not under consideration for publication anywhere else, and all co-authors should have agreed to the submission. Manuscripts should be written in English.