Studies on the Fluorescent Compounds in Fermented Foods

Part I Chloroform-soluble fluorescent compounds produced by Koji-molds

Abstract

The aflatoxin-producing ability of molds was examined on 136 strains used in fermented food industries in Japan and on 76 strains stocked in Food Research Institute. On thin layer chromatograms of extracts of Czapek's culture incubated with each strain, fluorescent spots resembling to those of four aflatoxins (B₁, B₂, G₁, and G₂) were observed for 49 strains. Some uncertain spots of very weak fluorescence were also observed for the other 22 strains, while no fluorescent spot was detected for the rest strains. Since the substances giving such spots differed clearly from aflatoxins on their ultraviolet absrption spectra and on their solubility to hexane, it was concluded that no aflatoxin was produced by the molds examined.