Fungal and mycotoxin contamination of stored rice samples of selected regions of India and some higher plant products

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the primary dietary constituents used as staple food across the globe due to the sovereign nutritional excellence (minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, carbohydrate, and fiber). During the storage periods, the lipid rich bran layer facilitates the microbial infestation and influence the quality and nutritional constituents of rice. Storage fungi, especially species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium and their toxic secondary metabolites (mycotoxins) pose serious concern to the qualitative and quantitative deterioration in rice inducing severe health associated complications. Association of different species of Aspergillus such as A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. nomius, and A. pseudotamarii are burning problem to the stored food commodities due to their aflatoxin producing potentiality with widespread hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, genotoxicity, and cytotoxicity. Among different aflatoxins, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and mixture of aflatoxin B, G, and M under class 1 human carcinogen which has been recognized as 7th and 9th leading cause of cancer symptoms in men and women newline