A method was developed for simultaneous quantitation of Aspergillus flavus/A. parasiticus and aflatoxins in peanuts. Peanut samples were ground with an equal weight of water in a vertical cutter mixer to produce a slurry. Separate subsamples were taken for dilution-plating to determine total colony forming units (CFU)/g of A. flavus/A. parasiticus and for liquid chromatographic analysis to dete...

Aflatoxins are produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in oil-rich seed and grain crops and are a serious problem in agriculture, with aflatoxin B₁ being the most carcinogenic natural compound known. Sexual reproduction in these species occurs between individuals belonging to different vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs). We examined natural genetic variation in 758 isolates of A. ...

Efficacy of three different concentrations (5, 10 and 15 mg/ml) of dry flower powder of E. splendens and L. nepetaefolia was tested on the growth of aflatoxin-producing toxigenic strains of fungi A. flavus (NCBT 101) and A. parasiticus (NCBT 128) in Sabouraud dextrose agar medium (SDA). Maximum (75%) inhibition of growth of A. flavus was seen at 15 mg/ml concentration of E. splendens flower dry...

A gene encoding a putative pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.1) was isolated from a genomic library of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus parasiticus strain SU-1. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 37% homology to PDC1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although A. parasiticus has an obligate growth requirement for oxygen, it produced ethanol in shake flask cultures indicating a response to anox...

The decolorization potential of textile dye Reactive Red 198 (RR198) by Aspergillus parasiticus fungal biosorbent has been investigated as a function of initial pH, contact time, biosorbent and initial dye concentration in a batch system. Maximum dye biosorption capacity 1.03x10 mol g was observed at pH 2.0 and 2.0 g L of biosorbent concentration. Biosorption equilibrium was attained within 50 ...

Considering the tremendous antimicrobial and antifungal potential of medicinally important plants, four important plants used in Indian folklore medicine were chosen to screen their antifungal activity. Leaf extracts of the plants viz. Solanum torvum, Adhatoda vasica, Terminalia chebula and Asparagus racemosus were prepared in organic solvents namely methanol, ethanol and methanol-ethanol (1:1)...

Cytosine Deaminase (CD) from Aspergillus parasiticus was purified and characterized. Time course for maximal CD production (50 μmol/min/mg) was at 72 hrs. The enzyme was purified 387.73 folds with an overall yield of 13%. The CD had pH optimum of 7.2, a temperature optimum of 40 ̊C 45 ̊C, activation energy (Ea) of 8.4 KJ/mol and a t1/2 of 1.10 hr. A. parasiticus CD stoichiometrically deaminated C...

Diospyros capricornuta is an endemic species widely distributed along the coast of Tanzania that used as food condiments and traditional medicine. The chemical compositions leaves, stem-bark, root-bark extracts; their bioactive potentials against Aspergillus flavus parasiticus were investigated. samples D. extracted using Soxhlet apparatus resultant extracts analyzed Gas Chromatography-Mass Spe...

The ver-1A gene was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined as part of a previous study on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) biosynthesis in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus parasiticus SU-1. A second copy of this gene, ver-1B, was tentatively identified in this fungal strain. In this study, ver-1B was cloned by screening an A. parasiticus cosmid library with a ver-1A probe. The nucleotide sequen...

BACKGROUND Aflatoxins are highly toxic secondary metabolites mainly produced by Aspergillus parasiticus. This species can contaminate a wide range of agricultural commodities, including cereals, peanuts, and crops in the field. In recent years, research on medicinal herbs, such as Pistacia atlantica subsp. kurdica, have led to reduced microbial growth, and these herbs also have a particular eff...