RESEARCH PAPER
Volatile profiles and aflatoxin production by toxigenic and non-toxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus grown on sterile and non-sterile cracked corn
 
More details
Hide details
1
Southern Regional Research Center, USDA, New Orleans, USA
 
 
Corresponding author
Anthony J. De Lucca   

Southern Regional Research Center, USDA, New Orleans, USA
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2012;19(1):91-98
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Aspergillus flavus is a saprophytic fungus which can grow on corn and produce aflatoxins which render it unsafe for consumption as food and feed. In this study, aflatoxin and non-aflatoxin producing isolates of A. flavus were grown separately on wet (20% water added), sterile or non-sterile cracked corn. Wet and dry cracked corn controls were included as needed. Secondary metabolic volatiles were identified and aflatoxin concentrations determined over a 12-day period. Volatiles unique to the toxigenic A. flavus isolates were determined by comparison with volatiles produced by the respective corn controls and the non-toxigenic A. flavus isolate. The number and identity of the volatiles produced by these A. flavus isolates varied by isolate, whether sterile or non-sterile corn was the substrate, and the sampling day. Overall, most of the volatiles were produced before day 8 after inoculation. Aflatoxin production was 10-fold lower on the sterile corn, compared to the non- sterile corn. Volatiles unique to the aflatoxin producing isolates were identified on both substrates after comparison with those produced by the non-aflatoxin producing isolate, as well as the corn control samples. Results indicate that several factors (substrate, fungal isolate, culture age) affect volatile and aflatoxin production by A. flavus.
 
REFERENCES (32)
1.
Magan N, Aldred D. Post-harvest control strategies: Minimizing mycotoxins in the food chain. Int J Food Microbiol. 2007; 119: 131-139.
 
2.
Rajasekaran K, De Lucca AJ, Cary JW. Aflatoxin control through transgenic approaches. Toxin Rev. 2009; 28: 89-101.
 
3.
Payne GA. Aflatoxins in maize. Crit Rev Plant Sci. 1992; 10: 423-440.
 
4.
FAO. Food and Agriculture Organization 2004. Worldwide Regulations for Mycotoxins in Food and Feed in 2003. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 81. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2004, Rome, Italy.
 
5.
Brown RL, Cotty PJ, Cleveland TE, Windstrom NW. Living maize embryo influences accumulation of aflatoxin in corn kernels. J Food Protect. 1993; 56: 967-9971.
 
6.
National Corn Growers Association. Written Testimony of the National Corn Growers Association. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Full Committee Hearing on Agriculture and Rural America’s Role in Enhancing National Energy Security. Washington, DC. January 10, 2007.
 
7.
Fischer G, Schwalbe R, Möller M, Ostrowski R, Dott W. Species-specific production of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC) by airborne fungi from a compost facility. Chemosphere. 1999; 39: 795-810.
 
8.
Magan N, Evans P. Volatiles as an indicator of fungal activity and differentiation between species, and the potential use of electronic nose technology for early detection of grain spoilage. J Stored Prod Res. 2000; 36: 319-340.
 
9.
Schnürer J, Olsson J, Börjesson T. Fungal volatiles as indicators of food and feed spoilage. Fungal Genet Biol. 1999; 27: 209-217.
 
10.
Börjesson T, Stöllman U, Adamek P, Kaspersson A. Analysis of volatile compounds for detection of molds in stored grains. Cereal Chem. 1989; 66: 300-304.
 
11.
Börjesson T, Stöllman U, Schnürer J. Volatile metabolites produced by six fungal species compared with other indictors of fungal growth on cereal grains. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992; 58: 2599-2605.
 
12.
Jelén HH, Mirocha CJ, Wasowicz E, Kaminski E. Production of volatile sesquiterpenes by Fusarium sambucinum strains with different abilities to synthesize trichothecenes. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995; 61: 3815-3820.
 
13.
Kaminski E, Stawicki S, Wasowicz E. Volatile flavor compounds produced by molds of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fungi Imperfecti. Appl Mcrobiol. 1974; 27: 1001-1004.
 
14.
Karlshoi K, Larsen TO. Differentiation of species from the Penicillium roqueforti group by volatile metabolic profiling. J Agric Food Chem. 2005; 53: 708-715.
 
15.
Sunesson A-L, Vaes WHJ, Nilsson C-A, Blomquist G, Andersson B, Carlson R. Identification of volatiles metabolites from five fungal species cultivated on two media. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995; 61: 2911-2918.
 
16.
Van Lancker F, Adams A, Delmulle B, De Saeger S, Moretti A, Van Peteghem C, De Kimpe N. Use of headspace SPME-GC-MS for the analysis of the volatiles produced by indoor mold grown on different substrates. J Environ Monit. 2008; 10:1127-1133.
 
17.
Sahgal N, Needham R, Cabanes FJ, Magan N. Potential for detection and discrimination between mycotoxigenic and non-toxigenic spoilage molds using volatile production patterns: A review. Food Additives Contaminat. 2007; 24: 1161-1178.
 
18.
De Lucca AJ, Boué SM, Carter-Wientjes CH, Bland JM, Bhatnagar D, Cleveland TE. Volatile profiles of toxigenic and non-toxigenic Aspergillus flavus using SPME for solid phase extraction. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2010; 17: 291-298.
 
19.
Zeringue HJ, Bhatnagar D, Cleveland TE. C 15 H 24 volatile compounds unique to aflatoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus . Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993; 59: 2264-2270.
 
20.
Keshri G, Magan N. Detection and differentiation between mycotoxigenic and non-mycotoxigenic strains of two Fusarium spp. using volatile production profiles and hydrolytic enzymes. J Appl Microbiol. 2000; 89: 825-833.
 
21.
Demyttenaere JCR, Morina RM, Sandra P. Monitoring and fast detection of mycotoxin-producing fungi based on headspace solid-phase microextraction and headspace sorptive extraction of the volatile metabolites. J Chromatography A. 2003; 985: 127-135.
 
22.
Sobolev VS, Dorner JW. Cleanup procedure for determination of aflatoxins in major agricultural commodities by liquid chromatography. JOAC Int. 2002; 85: 642-645.
 
23.
Elmore JS, Papantoniou E, Mottram DS. A comparison of headspace entrapment on Tenax with solid phase microextraction for the analysis of the aroma volatiles of cooked beef. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2001; 488: 128-132.
 
24.
Fäldt J, Eriksson M, Valterová I, Borg-Karlsom AK. Comparison of headspace techniques for sampling volatile natural products in a dynamic system. Z Naturforsch C. 2000; 55: 180-188.
 
25.
Hoballah, MEF, Tamò C, Turlings TCJ. Differential attractiveness of induced odors emitted by eight maize varieties for the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris: Is quality or quantity important? J Chem Ecol. 2002; 28: 951-968.
 
26.
Hammack L. Corn volatiles as attractants for northern and western corn rootworm beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomellidae: Diabrotica spp.). J Chem Ecol. 1996; 22: 1237-1253.
 
27.
Gouinguené SP, Turlings TCJ. The effects of abiotic factors on induced volatile emissions in corn plants. Plant Physiol. 2002; 129: 1296-1307.
 
28.
Choudhary AK. Influence of microbial co-inhabitants on aflatoxin synthesis of Aspergillus flavus on maize kernels. Lett Appl Microbiol. 1992; 14: 143-147.
 
29.
Wicklow DT, Hesseltine CW, Shotwell OL, Adams GL. Interference competition and aflatoxin levels in corn. Phytopathol. 1980; 70: 761-764.
 
30.
Wicklow DT, Roth S, Deyrup ST, Gloer JB. A protective endophyte of maize: Acromonium zeae antibiotics inhibitory to Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides. Mycol Res. 2005; 109: 610-618.
 
31.
Park DL, Whitaker TB, Simonson J, Morris HF, Durr B, Njapau H. Determining the variability associated with testing shelled corn for aflatoxin using different analytical procedures in Louisiana in 1998. JAOAC Int. 2007; 90: 1036-1041.
 
32.
Robertson JA, Lee LS, Cucullu AF, Goldblatt LA. Assay of aflatoxin in peanuts and peanut products using acetone-hexane-water for extraction. J Am Oil Chem Soc. 1965; 47: 467-471.
 
eISSN:1898-2263
ISSN:1232-1966
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top