Studies on mycotoxin detection and control by natural products

Abstract

  Aflatoxins are a group of secondary metabolites produced by some Aspergillus species, including A. flavus and A. parasiticus, and are detected in many kinds of food such as corn, tree nuts, dried fruit, and spices. Because they are potent mutagens and are liver carcinogens in humans and a wide range of animal species, aflatoxin contamination in crops causes huge economic losses and may constitute a serious health threat. A practical use of compounds which can control aflatoxin production by fungi is expected to be an effective method to prevent aflatoxin contamination in agricultural products. Many kinds of aflatoxin production inhibitors have already been reported, and most of them are derived from plant constituents, microbial metabolites, or synthetic compounds. We have been searching for new aflatoxin production inhibitors among secondary metabolites produced by actinomycetes. In this review, the features of four aflatoxin production inhibitors, blasticidin A, blasticidin S, dioctatin A and polyoxins are introduced.