TITLE	Contamination of some common medicinal plant samples and spices by fungi and their mycotoxins
AUTHOR	Nagy Halim Aziz Microbiology Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, P.O. Box 29, Nasr City, Post Code, 113701,Cairo, Egypt Youssef A. Youssef Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt Moheie Z. El-Fouly Microbiology Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, P.O. Box 29, Nasr City, Post Code, 113701,Cairo, Egypt Lotfy A. Moussa Microbiology Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, P.O. Box 29, Nasr City, Post Code, 113701,Cairo, Egypt
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ABSTRACT	A total of 84 medicinal plant samples and spices were examined for the contamination of molds and mycotoxins. Ten fungal genera of different taxonomic groups were detected. Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Penicillium viridicatum occurred most often on the medicinal plant samples. Direct determination of mycotoxins in medicinal plant samples revealed aflatoxin B1 in 17 samples at an average of from 10 to 160 µgkg-1, ochratoxin-A in 3 samples at an average of from 20 to 80 µgkg-1, and no detection of penicillic acid, zearalenone, or T-toxin. Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. oryzae were aflatoxin-producers, whereas, A. ochraceus, P. viridicatum, and P. variable were ochratoxin-A producers. In addition P. viridicatum, P. chrysogenum, and P. commune were penicillic acid-producers. The molds produced high concentrations of mycotoxins in synthetic medium and low to zero concentrations in the medicinal plants.
KEYWORD	Medicinal plants; Mycoflora; Mycotoxins; Spices; Toxigenic fungi;
ARTICLE INFO	Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 39 Number 4 October 1998, page 279-285, 7 pages
PUBLISHER	Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China