The Application of Pomegranate, Sugar Apple, and Eggplant Peel Extracts Suppresses Aspergillus flavus Growth and Aflatoxin B1 Biosynthesis Pathway

Abstract

Even though the green revolution was a significant turning point in agriculture, it was also marked by the widespread use of chemical pesticides, which prompted severe concerns about their influence on human and environmental health. As a result, the demand for healthier and more environmentally friendly alternatives to control plant diseases and avoid food spoilage is intensifying. Among the proposed alternatives, food by-product extracts, especially from the most consumed fruits in Egypt, eggplant, sugar apple, and pomegranate peel wastes, were largely ignored. Hence, we chose them to evaluate their antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic activities against maize fungus, Aspergillus flavus. All the extracts exhibited multiple degrees of antifungal growth and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) inhibitory activities (35.52% to 91.18%) in broth media. Additionally, diethyl ether 50% eggplant, ethanol 75% sugar apple, and diethyl ether 25% pomegranate extracts exhibited the highest AFB1 inhibition, of 96.11%, 94.85%, and 78.83%, respectively, after one month of treated-maize storage. At the same time, Topsin fungicide demonstrated an AFB1 inhibition ratio of 72.95%. The relative transcriptional levels of three structural and two regulatory genes, aflD, aflP, aflQ, aflR, and aflS, were downregulated compared to the infected control. The phenolic content (116.88 mg GAEs/g DW) was highest in the 25% diethyl ether pomegranate peel extract, while the antioxidant activity was highest in the 75% ethanol sugar apple extract (94.02 µg/mL). The most abundant active compounds were found in the GC-MS analysis of the fruit peel extracts: α-kaurene, α-fenchene, p-allylphenol, octadecanoic acid, 3,5-dihydroxy phenol, hexestrol, xanthinin, and linoleic acid. Finally, the three fruit peel waste extracts could be a prospective source of friendly ecological compounds that act as environmentally safer and more protective alternatives to inhibit AFB1 production in maize storage.

Mycotoxins in milk: Occurrence and evaluation of certain detoxification attempts

“…The data obtained revealed that the bio-binder's efficacy ratio depended on the concentration of the used plant and the type of mycotoxins. Our results are in harmony with Becker-Algeri et al ( 2016) and Ismail et al (2021). Those previous works indicated that the efficacy of plant extracts depends on their varieties, quantities and components of a particular plant extract.…”

“…Recently, the use of phenolic compounds in this sense is recognized due to their potential antioxidant properties. They are widely recommended as a safe, applicable and more efficient method than other synthetic agents (Abdelnaby et al, 2022 ; Aladaileh et al, 2020 ; Ismail et al, 2021 ; Pani et al, 2014 ; Youssef, Qari, Behiry, et al, 2021 ; Youssef, Qari, Matar, et al, 2021 ). The antioxidant capacity of phenolic compounds might be due to electron donation and hydrogen atom transfer to free radicals (Dai & Mumper, 2010 ) and chelated trace metals involved in radical development (Ghasemzadeh & Ghasemzadeh, 2011 ).…”

Phytochemical Profiling of Javanese Ginseng (Talinum paniculatum) Stem Extract Using GC-MS Analysis and Pharmacological Potential

“…49 10 Octadecanoic acid Anti-inflammatory 50 and antioxidant. 51,52 11 Oleic acid Antibacterial 53 , anti-inflammatory, antifungal 54 , and anti-cancer. 54,55 12 Stigmast-5-en-3-ol Antioxidant, anti-cancer.…”

Prevention of aflatoxin B1 toxicity by pomegranate peel extract and its effects on growth, blood biochemical changes, oxidative stress and histopathological alterations

“…Khojah et al (2022) recorded that In a cereal composite bar, pomegranate by-products and barley malt grass bioactive collaborate to produce antimycotic and antiaflatoxigenic effects. Pomegranate, sugar apple and eggplant peel extracts also inhibit A. flavus growth and the biosynthesis of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) (Ismail et al, 2021).…”

“…Khojah et al (2022) recorded that In a cereal composite bar, pomegranate by‐products and barley malt grass bioactive collaborate to produce antimycotic and antiaflatoxigenic effects. Pomegranate, sugar apple and eggplant peel extracts also inhibit A. flavus growth and the biosynthesis of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) (Ismail et al, 2021). Anthrax, Chlamydia, Cholera, Lyme disease, Typhus, Relapsing Fever, Tularaemia, Malaria, Plaque, Syphilis, Respiratory infection, Mycoplasma, Rickettsiae, Streptococcal infection and Acne are among the illnesses that Oxytetracycline (OXY) is frequently used to treat.…”