CYCLOPIAZONIC ACID AND AFLATOXIN PRODUCTION BY CULTURES OF ASPERGILLUS-FLAVUS ISOLATED FROM DRIED BEANS AND MAIZE

From the storerooms of individual households 150 samples of dried bean s and 90 samples of stored maize were collected for mycological analys es. Two of 27 isolates of A. flavus grown on malt extract agar (MEA) w ere found to produce the mycotoxin cyclopiazonic acid (25 - 36 mug/g). Three of the A. flavus isolates grown on crushed moist wheat produced aflatoxin B1 (0.72 - 1.6 mug/g) and 6 of 26 A. ochraceus isolates wer e OA positive (0.5 - 10.4 mug/g). None of 25 bean samples were contami nated with CPA, AF or OA, while 4 samples of 30 tested maize samples w ere OA positive with level of OA 0.4 - 400 mug/g. Toxins were determin ed by thin layer chromatography and colorimetric method was used for q uantitations of CPA.