Evaluation of mycotoxins, mycobiota, and toxigenic fungi in selected medicinal plants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Ahmad, Bashir; Ashiq, Samina; Hussain, Arshad; Bashir, Shumaila; Hussain, Mubbashir

doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2014.06.002

Cited by 42 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Fungal contamination associated with herbs has been reported worldwide (Romagnoli et al, 2007;Ahmad et al, 2014;Fabio and Armando, 2018). Due to the lack of standard management, fungal contamination in herbs may occur at any point in the production cycle, including cultivation, harvest, transport, and storage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The occurrence of mycotoxins in herbs has been reported in many countries. A Pakistani survey on the contamination of aflatoxin (AF) and ochratoxin A in 30 herbal samples showed that the positive rates were 30 and 26.70%, respectively (Ahmad et al, 2014). Romagnoli et al (2007) collected 103 samples of herbal infusions, aromatic herbs, and spices in Italy, and seven samples were contaminated with AF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of the Microbiome and Potential Aflatoxin Associated With the Medicinal Herb Platycladus orientalis

Guo

Jiang

et al. 2020

Front. Microbiol.

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Platycladi Semen, which is derived from the dried ripe seed of Platycladus orientalis, has been used for the treatment of insomnia and constipation in China for 2000 years. However, it is susceptible to fungal and aflatoxin contamination under proper humidity and temperature during storage. Although aflatoxin contamination in Platycladi Semen has been reported preliminarily, few studies have been conducted on fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination simultaneously. Thus, this work aims to provide an indepth understanding of fungal contamination in Platycladi Semen, and information on aflatoxin contamination. We focused on a comparison of the difference in fungal diversity between aflatoxin-contaminated and aflatoxin-free Platycladi Semen samples. First, aflatoxin levels in 11 Platycladi Semen samples, which were collected from local herbal markets in Shandong, Anhui, and Hebei provinces throughout China, were determined by IAC-HPLC-FLD, and positive confirmation of detected samples was performed by LC-MS/MS. The samples were divided into two groups, based on production or nonproduction of aflatoxin. We then used the Illumina MiSeq PE250 platform, and targeted the internal transcribed spacer two sequences to analyze the diversity and composition of the fungal microbiome, as well as to assess the presence of potential mycotoxinproducing fungi. Results showed that five samples were contaminated with aflatoxins, one of which exceeded the legal limits of Chinese Pharmacopeia Commission (2015). At the phylum level, the Ascomycota was the most dominant in all tested samples, with a relative abundance of 83.04-99.46%. Aspergillus (27.88-97.28%), Xerochrysium (0-28.49%), and Xeromyces (0-22.24%) were the three predominant genera. Furthermore, differences in fungal composition between the aflatoxin-contaminated and aflatoxin-free groups, as well as between different provinces were observed. A total of 74 species were identified, and four potential mycotoxin-producing fungi were detected in all samples, namely Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium poae, and Penicillium steckii. In conclusion, we report the great diversity of fungi associated with Platycladi Semen, highlight the risk to consumers of ingesting potent aflatoxin, and provide a reference for the safe application and quality improvement of Platycladi Semen.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Microbiome and Potential Aflatoxin Associated With the Medicinal Herb Platycladus orientalis

Guo

Jiang

et al. 2020

Front. Microbiol.

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“…Ahmad et al [24] screened plants from Pakistan and detected fungal contamination in 90% of tested samples, of which 70% exceeded the permissible limits; being opium poppy, liquorice root, and Indian rennet the most contaminated medicinal plants. The predominant fungal strains isolated belonged to Aspergillus (A. flavus, A. niger and A. parasiticus) and Penicillium species, and 31% of the 47 isolates tested were found to be toxigenic.…”

Section: Fungal Occurrence In Plant-based Supplements and Medicinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mycotoxigenic fungi in plant-based supplements and medicines

Rocha-Miranda

Venâncio

2019

Current Opinion in Food Science

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The increasing consumption of plant-based products for health promotion or for disease treatment has generated public health concerns, since herbs or plants are in direct contact with soils and may easily be colonized by fungi. Many studies have shown the contamination of plant-based supplements and drugs with mycotoxigenic fungal species. Aspergillus and Penicillium species have been reported as the most frequent and dominant ones, with records of the occurrence of many mycotoxigenic species. The presence of different species raises the concern of multimycotoxin occurrence, while the increased consumption of these products increases exposure. This review aims to present updated data on the natural occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in plant-based supplements and medicines.

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“…Together with colleagues from a previous study (Ahmad and others ), this author investigated the natural occurrence of aflatoxins and OTA in commonly used medicinal plants from KP province. Aflatoxins ranging from 2.27 to 37.37 μg/kg were present in 30% of samples and OTA (9.85 to 125 μg/kg) in 26.7%.…”

Section: Mycotoxin Contamination Of Food and Feed In Pakistanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Occurrence of Mycotoxins in Food and Feed: Pakistan Perspective

Ashiq

2014

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

Self Cite

105

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Fungi are commonly present in the environment and can grow under favorable conditions on an extensive variety of substrates. During harvesting, handling, storage, and distribution, agricultural commodities are subjected to infection by toxigenic molds, which may cause spoilage and produce toxic metabolites called mycotoxins. Fungal contamination of various food commodities with consequent exposure of the community to mycotoxins is a hazard that may exist depending on environmental factors, crop health, and soil conditions. Mycotoxins represent serious consequences due to substantial economic loss and risk to health. The environmental conditions of Pakistan with its mostly warm temperature are conducive to growth of toxigenic fungi resulting in mycotoxin production in different food items. Moreover, the poor conditions of storage and deficiency in regulatory measures in food quality control worsen the situation in the country. This review encompasses mycotoxin contamination of food and feed in Pakistan. High concentrations of mycotoxins are found in some commodities that are used on a daily basis in Pakistan, which may be a concern depending on dietary variety and health conditions of individuals in the population. Therefore, the mycotoxin contamination of foodstuff with exceeding levels represents a serious health hazard for the local population. There is a need to conduct more studies to analyze mycotoxin occurrence in all types of food commodities throughout the country. For consumer safety and the country's economy, the regulatory authorities should take into account this issue of contamination, and control strategies should be implemented and the quality control system of food improved.

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Evaluation of mycotoxins, mycobiota, and toxigenic fungi in selected medicinal plants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Cited by 42 publications

References 36 publications

Assessment of the Microbiome and Potential Aflatoxin Associated With the Medicinal Herb Platycladus orientalis

Assessment of the Microbiome and Potential Aflatoxin Associated With the Medicinal Herb Platycladus orientalis

Mycotoxigenic fungi in plant-based supplements and medicines

Natural Occurrence of Mycotoxins in Food and Feed: Pakistan Perspective

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