Article
Food Science & Technology
Mariamu Kibwana, Fikira Kimbokota, Robert Christopher, Juma A. Mmongoyo
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of total aflatoxins in stored maize, maize flour, and stiff porridge consumed in schools in Dodoma Region. The results showed that the samples of stored maize, maize flour, and stiff porridge were contaminated with aflatoxins at levels that exceeded the Maximum Tolerable Level (MTL), putting consumers at risk of aflatoxin hazards.
Article
Biology
Abeer R. M. Abd El-Aziz, Shereen M. Shehata, Sameh M. Hisham, Afnan A. Alobathani
Summary: This study focused on the characterization and identification of A. flavus isolates in stored maize in Saudi Arabia. Various methods including microscopic morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterizations were used for accurate discrimination of aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic isolates. The study found different methods for determining aflatoxigenic isolates varied in accuracy, with HPLC being the most accurate. Additionally, non-aflatoxigenic isolates may play a crucial role in controlling aflatoxin contamination.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marco Camardo Leggieri, Marco Mazzoni, Paola Battilani
Summary: This study utilized a machine learning approach to predict mycotoxin contamination in maize fields, achieving an accuracy of over 75% which outperformed traditional statistical methods. The models developed here were shown to be robust, thanks to the large data set and good statistical scores applied.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Clara Melguizo, Belen Patino, Antonio J. Ramos, Covadonga Vazquez, Jessica Gil-Serna
Summary: Aspergillus flavus is a xerophilic fungus whose occurrence in vineyards is increasing, but the risk of grape contamination with aflatoxin needs further investigation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Juan Moral, M. Teresa Garcia-Lopez, Ana Gordon, Alejandro Ortega-Beltran, Ryan Puckett, Kenji Tomari, Thomas M. Gradziel, Themis J. Michailides
Summary: Research shows that in almond production, managing aflatoxin contamination can be achieved by using the biocontrol strain AF36 and selecting resistant cultivars. The shell and seedcoat of almonds play a significant role in preventing aflatoxin contamination. Peach kernels exhibit higher resistance to the pathogen compared to almonds, while almonds show higher resistance than pistachios.
Article
Microbiology
Shaowen Wu, Wenjie Huang, Fenghua Wang, Xinlu Zou, Xuan Li, Chun-Ming Liu, Wenyang Zhang, Shijuan Yan
Summary: Temperature is a key factor in affecting aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Previous research has shown that aflatoxin production is increased at temperatures between 28°C-30°C and inhibited at temperatures above 30°C. However, the underlying metabolic mechanism is not well understood. In this study, metabolomic and lipidomic analyses were used to investigate the endogenous metabolism of A. flavus at different temperatures. The results revealed significant alterations in metabolite and lipid profiles, providing new insights into the metabolic changes of A. flavus under temperature stress.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yangyong Lv, Haojie Yang, Jing Wang, Shan Wei, Huanchen Zhai, Shuaibing Zhang, Yuansen Hu
Summary: A study identified a novel protein, Afper1, in Aspergillus flavus that plays a critical role in regulating cell development and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Deletion of Afper1 impaired aflatoxin production and affected hyphal growth, conidial and sclerotial production, and responses to osmotic stress and essential oils. The deletion also led to ROS accumulation, chromatin remodeling, and ER homeostasis disturbance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Chenxi Zhang, Lin Pan, Junning Ma, Qiang Yu, Xiaohua Yu, Sarfaraz Hussain, Xu Li, Yujie Li, Yue Guan, Yifei Li, Fuguo Xing
Summary: In this study, cinnamaldehyde microcapsules (Cin-Mc) were developed using calcium alginate, and their physicochemical properties and bioefficacies were characterized. Compared to free cinnamaldehyde, Cin-Mc exhibited enhanced thermal stability, reduced irritating odor, and sustained release of cinnamaldehyde for 20 days at 25 degrees C. This led to substantially enhanced antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic effects against Aspergillus flavus during the storage of unshelled peanut kernels.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rajtilak Majumdar, Shyam L. Kandel, Jeffrey W. Cary, Kanniah Rajasekaran
Summary: This study analyzed the endophytic bacterial community in maize seeds resistant to aflatoxin contamination and identified potential bacterial markers associated with resistance. Functional profiling revealed differences in bacterial products between resistant and susceptible lines, indicating possible roles in resistance mechanisms. Future characterization of these bacteria may lead to the development of effective biocontrol agents for aflatoxin resistance in maize.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaohua Pan, Ling Hao, Chi Yang, Hong Lin, Dandan Wu, Xuan Chen, Mengjuan Zhang, Dongmei Ma, Yu Wang, Wangzhuo Fu, Yanfang Yao, Shihua Wang, Zhenhong Zhuang
Summary: This study reveals the role of SWD1 in fungal morphogenesis and AFB1 biosynthesis in A. flavus, and suggests its importance in other metabolite synthesis and fungal pathogenicity.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Milica Nikolic, Iva Savic, Ana Nikolic, Marko Jaukovic, Vesna Kandic, Milan Stevanovic, Slavica Stankovic
Summary: The study revealed that maize in Serbia is threatened by aspergillus ear rot caused by the pathogen Aspergillus parasiticus, with global warming favoring aflatoxin contamination. Through various analytical methods, it was confirmed that the pathogen causing aspergillus ear rot in maize is Aspergillus parasiticus. These findings provide an important basis for future research in areas such as food and feed safety production.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Shaowen Wu, Qunjie Zhang, Wenyang Zhang, Wenjie Huang, Qian Kong, Qinjian Liu, Wenyan Li, Xinlu Zou, Chun-Ming Liu, Shijuan Yan
Summary: This study reveals that exogenous linolenic acid (AL) inhibits aflatoxin (AF) biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus by affecting the imizoquin (IMQ) pathway. Multiomics analyses showed that AL upregulates the IMQ pathway and enhances the tricarboxylic acid cycle, leading to increased mycelial growth in A. flavus. Furthermore, a potential receptor of AL, a transporter protein called ImqJ, was identified through thermal proteome profiling and molecular dynamics simulations. Comparative genomic analysis also indicated positive selection of genes involved in the IMQ pathway in Aspergillus oryzae.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Ajuan Niu, Hongying Wu, Xinyue Hu, Song Tan, Yajie Wu, Xiaoyu Yin, Yuping Chen, Xinyang Sun, Guangyu Wang, Weifen Qiu
Summary: The continuous use of essential oils (EOs) in both liquid and gaseous phases for antimicrobial purposes has been extensively studied. However, the effects of transient treatment with EOs on microorganisms are also worth exploring. This study examined the persistent effects of cinnamaldehyde (CA) vapor on Aspergillus flavus and found that after the removal of CA vapor, the oxidative stress induced by the antimicrobial environment was alleviated and most damaged functions were restored, except for mitochondrial function. Additionally, the suppression of aflatoxin production intensified, indicating significant changes in gene expression related to aflatoxin synthesis.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yun Wang, Dongmei Liu, Haiyan Yin, Hongqi Wang, Cheng Cao, Junyan Wang, Jia Zheng, Jihong Liu
Summary: This study analyzed the changes in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differential metabolites during Aspergillus flavus infection in different peanut varieties. The results showed that resistant varieties have increased activity in pectinase catabolism and hydrogen peroxide decomposition at the early stage of infection, while nonresponsive varieties show differential enrichment of these genes at later stages. The transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses confirmed the activation of defense mechanisms in peanuts infected with A. flavus, with a more rapid response in resistant materials. These findings contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism of peanut resistance to A. flavus and provide directions for early detection and breeding of resistant varieties.
Article
Plant Sciences
M. Teresa Garcia-Lopez, Yong Luo, Alejandro Ortega-Beltran, Ramon Jaime, Juan Moral, Themis J. Michailides
Summary: This study developed a new qPCR method for accurately and efficiently quantifying the proportions of non-aflatoxin producing Aspergillus flavus AF36 in different substrates, which will help in precise management of aflatoxin contamination.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Savannah Jackson, Dahlia M. Nielsen, Nadia D. Singh
BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiaomei Shu, David P. Livingston, Robert G. Franks, Rebecca S. Boston, Charles P. Woloshuk, Gary A. Payne
MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guan-Feng Wang, Yijian He, Renee Strauch, Bode A. Olukolu, Dahlia Nielsen, Xu Li, Peter J. Balint-Kurti
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yuelong Guo, Sylwia Fudali, Jacinta Gimeno, Peter DiGennaro, Stella Chang, Valerie M. Williamson, David Mck. Bird, Dahlia M. Nielsen
Article
Veterinary Sciences
G. Urkasemsin, D. M. Nielsen, A. Singleton, S. Arepalli, D. Hernandez, C. Agler, N. J. Olby
JOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2017)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiaomei Shu, David P. Livingston, Charles P. Woloshuk, Gary A. Payne
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yuelong Guo, Sylwia Fudali, Jacinta Gimeno, Peter DiGennaro, Stella Chang, Valerie M. Williamson, David Mck. Bird, Dahlia M. Nielsen
Article
Oncology
Kristy L. Richards, Alison A. Motsinger-Reif, Hsiao-Wei Chen, Yuri Fedoriw, Cheng Fan, Dahlia M. Nielsen, George W. Small, Rachael Thomas, Chris Smith, Sandeep S. Dave, Charles M. Perou, Matthew Breen, Luke B. Borst, Steven E. Suter
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrea L. Dolezal, Gregory R. Obrian, Dahlia M. Nielsen, Charles P. Woloshuk, Rebecca S. Boston, Gary A. Payne
MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Bode A. Olukolu, Guan-Feng Wang, Vijay Vontimitta, Bala P. Venkata, Sandeep Marla, Jiabing Ji, Emma Gachomo, Kevin Chu, Adisu Negeri, Jacqueline Benson, Rebecca Nelson, Peter Bradbury, Dahlia Nielsen, James B. Holland, Peter J. Balint-Kurti, Gurmukh Johal
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Caryline Agler, Dahlia M. Nielsen, Ganokon Urkasemsin, Andrew Singleton, Noriko Tonomura, Snaevar Sigurdsson, Ruqi Tang, Keith Linder, Sampath Arepalli, Dena Hernandez, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Joyce van de Leemput, Alison Motsinger-Reif, Dennis P. O'Brien, Jerold Bell, Tonya Harris, Steven Steinberg, Natasha J. Olby
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Sylvia H. Ferguson, Derek M. Foster, Barbara Sherry, Scott T. Magness, Dahlia M. Nielsen, Jody L. Gookin
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yuhua Su, Dahlia Nielsen, Lei Zhu, Kristy Richards, Steven Suter, Matthew Breen, Alison Motsinger-Reif, Jason Osborne