ARS | Publication request: Aflatoxin and sclerotia production by Aspergillus isolates from the Mississippi Delta

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 24, 2005
Publication Date: March 24, 2005
Citation: Abbas, H.K. 2005. Aflatoxin and sclerotia production by Aspergillus isolates from the Mississippi Delta. Phytopathology. 97:7S1.

Technical Abstract: Aflatoxin contamination is a serious food safety problem throughout the world. There are large variations in aflatoxin production and other properties among aflatoxin-producers, especially within the most common species, A. flavus. One such variation is in sclerotia size, which allows classification of A. flavus into the following three types of strains: (i) large sclerotia (>400 µm), (ii) small sclerotia (<400 µm) and (iii) no sclerotia. The objective of this study was to characterize 517 A. flavus isolates from the Mississippi River Delta region for aflatoxin-producing potential and sclerotia size to determine if there were any relationships between aflatoxin production, source of isolate and sclerotia type. Most isolates produced aflatoxin (321 out of 517 isolates), and production varied with isolate source. Aspergillus flavus isolates that produced large sclerotia were significantly (P<0.001) more likely to produce high levels of aflatoxin (>10,000 ppb).