INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE-HUMIDITY IN THE PRODUCTION OF AFLATOXINS IN SAMPLES OF STORED MAIZE, ARTIFICIALLY CONTAMINATED WITH ASPERGILLUS-FLAVUS (LINK)
Ig. Asevedo et al., INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE-HUMIDITY IN THE PRODUCTION OF AFLATOXINS IN SAMPLES OF STORED MAIZE, ARTIFICIALLY CONTAMINATED WITH ASPERGILLUS-FLAVUS (LINK), Revista de Microbiologia, 24(1), 1993, pp. 32-37
Ninety (90) samples of maize grains from several regions of Brazil wer
e utilized in order to verify the influence of temperature and relativ
e humidity in the production of aflatoxins in this substract. The samp
les were inoculated with toxigenic A. flavus and incubated in a contro
lled temperature and relative humidity environment (15-degrees-C and 6
1% RH, 86.5% RH, 99% RH; 25-degrees-C and 64% RH, 85% RH; 40-degrees-C
and 61.5% RH, 85.5% RH; 96% RH) for period of 10, 20 and 30 days of i
ncubation. Aflatoxins were detected in the incubated samples at 15-deg
rees-C and 86.5% RH; 25-degrees-C in the three humidity conditions stu
died, 40-degrees-C and 61.5% RH, 96% RH. The best conditions for the p
roduction of aflatoxins were 25-degrees-C and 85% RH and 98% RH. The l
owest levels were obtained at 40-degrees-C and 61.5% RH. It was thus c
oncluded that the lowest temperatures (15-degrees-C) with. A relative
humidity of 61% and moisture content of 13.0% seem to be best conditio
ns for the storage of maize.