ABSTRACT:
The aflatoxigenic potential ofAspergillus parasiticus 2999 on soybeans (raw and cooked) and cashew fruit juice (ripe, unripe, raw and cooked) variously supplemented with sucrose (0–20g) has been evaluated. Aflatoxin production showed a dual increase with increasing sucrose (0–20g) and soybeans (0.1–2.0g) concentrations which probably indicates the limited availability of suitable carbon sources in soybeans. This may be partly responsible for its resistance to aflatoxin synthesis. Two to five per cent (w/v) sucrose supplementation was optimal for maximal toxin production in cashew juice. Above this range aflatoxin production dropped steeply. Cooked soybeans supported higher yields of toxin than raw, in direct contrast with cashew fruit juice. Ripe cashew juice produced a greater quantity of toxin than the unripe. More fluorescent metabolites were synthesized in cashew fruit media than in soybeans. These results have been discussed in relation to the limiting role of the carbon source and the resistance to aflatoxin production on natural substrates.
Mycopathologia 12/1979; 70(1):33-36. DOI:10.1007/BF00704319