S. ANAND AND E. R. RATI
Abstract
Samples of maize, sorghum, groundnut, rice, chillies, coffee beans, groundnut cake, poultry feed, cotton seed and dried coconut purchased from retail shops in the city of Mysore, Karnataka, India were screened for the presence of toxigenic Aspergillus ochraceus fungi and ochratoxin contamination. The incidence of Aspergillus ochraceus group of fungi in food and feed samples was 20.5% (15/73) with a load ranging 100-20,000 CFU/g. A. ochraceus group of fungi were dominant in maize, coffee and poultry feed samples. Twenty two isolates belonging to Aspergillus ochraceus group were isolated. Among them 59.2% (13/22) isolates were found to produce ochratoxin. The Penicillium spp and other fungal spp isolated from food samples did not elaborate ochratoxin. Of the food and feed samples tested for mycotoxin contamination, two samples showed the presence of both the aflatoxin B, and ochratoxin A and one sample of coffee had ochratoxin A and citrinin contamination. The sample of groundnut cake and poultry feed samples had aflatoxin BI (3.4 and 10 ppm respectively) and ochratoxin A (0.4 and 0.2 ppm respectively). A sample of coffee bean had citrinin mycotoxin and ochratoxin A (0.5 ppm and 1.25ppm respectively).