Aflatoxins are a group of carcinogenic and mutagenic fungal secondary metabolites that have threatened human health and global food security. Aflatoxin contamination can be controlled by applying fungicides, such as strobilurins. Although these compounds have been effective, they may be risky to the environment and human health due to their wide usage. In this study, a total of 68 plant-based compounds were tested to promote the performance of strobilurins (azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin) against aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus; six natural compounds, including flavonoids (n = 2), lignans (n = 3) and terpenoid (n = 1), were found to exhibit synergistic antifungal effects with strobilurins with fractional inhibitory concentration index &lt;0.5. Multiple natural compounds showed no inhibitory effects against A. flavus growth, but strongly suppressed aflatoxin production. This kind of activity would be greatly useful for removing aflatoxin from fermented foods without altering their original microbial community. Some of them also greatly enhanced the in vitro and in situ antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic efficacy of strobilurins and transformed them from fungistatic to fungicidal agents. These plant-based compounds may be used as effective natural chemosensitizing agents to improve the performance of strobilurins against A. flavus. These findings provide novel insights for the development of safer and more effective strategies for the control of aflatoxin contamination in food cereals and fermented foods.

Plant-based compounds improve the antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic efficiency of strobilurins against Aspergillus flavus

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.