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Title: FORMATION OF A FLUORESCENCE PRODUCT OF KOJIC ACID ASSOCIATED WITH SILICA GEL AS EVIDENCED BY INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

Author
item Vesonder, Ronald
item Gordon, Sherald
item XIE, W - UNIV OF MN, ST PAUL, MN
item Weisleder, David
item McAlpin, Cesaria

Submitted to: American Phytopathology Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/16/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Kojic acid is a gamma-pyrone with an enol system which is converted into a bright greenish yellow fluorescence (BGYF) substance that is widely used by the corn milling industry as a presumptive test for the presence of aflatoxin in commodities colonized by Aspergillus flavus. The formation of this fluorescence emission is reported in the literature as being induced by oxidative enzymes (e.g. peroxidase) in living plant tissue. In this research, we report that kojic acid is induced to fluoresce on silica gel without peroxidase. The product formed on silica gel fluoresces bright greenish yellow similar to the BGYF that is observed in corn kernels infected with Aspergillus flavus. The fluorescence product may be related to changes in the pseudo-aromatic character of kojic acid as suggested by infrared spectroscopy. The fluorescence product of kojic acid formed on silica gel was distinguished from kojic acid by infrared spectroscopy.