Abstract
Mycological examination of herbal samples (collected from markets) showed the relationships of a large number of fungi including mycotoxin producers. Isolates of Aspergillus flavus, A. ochraceus and Fusarium oxysporum were screened respectively for aflatoxins (Afl), ochratoxin A and zearalenone production and a considerable number of these were found to be toxigenic. Ten different samples of each plant were also analyzed for mycotoxin contamination. Afl-B1 was the most frequently occurring mycotoxin, in fairly high concentrations (0.17-0.67μg/g) in all of the contaminated samples, whereas, ochratoxin A, citrinin and zearalenone were found in comparatively few samples.
