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A Ciegler

Publications and source records attributed to A Ciegler.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of phytate on aflatoxin formation by Aspergillus parasiticus grown on different grains.

Aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus on corn, soybean, and cottonseed in the absence or presence of added sodium phytate was examined. No variation in aflatoxin concentrations was found in raw, chemically sterilized, or autoclaved soybeans whereas a five-fold reduction in total aflatoxins was found in cottonseed after addition of 330 micrograms sodium phytate to 10 g of autoclaved material. However, phytate did not affect aflatoxin production on non-sterile cottonseeds, although in corn a slight inhibition was found. Extraction of raw soybeans with hexane allowed production of 20-fold more aflatoxins, but levels were still lower than those found on rice or corn. Part of this relative inhibition in soybeans may arise from a heat-unstable, polar solvent-soluble, dialyzable factor present in soybeans. Our results support the conclusion that phytate is not the factor in soy responsible for its relative resistance to aflatoxin formation.

Aflatoxins

The effect of drying method and storage time on citrinin activity in corn.

Sterilized whole corn was inoculated with a Penicillium spp.,3 a citrinin-producing fungus, and incubated at room temperature for 8 weeks. The corn was then blended and divided into two parts, which were dried either in air at room temperature (ADC) or in a forced draft oven at 60 C for 24 hr (ODC). Each batch of corn was ground and stored in plastic containers. The corn was fed to broiler chicks prior to and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of storage at 4 C. The inoculated corn was fed undiluted or blended with noninoculated corn to give mixtures containing one-third and two-thirds of inoculated corn. Noninoculated corn, inoculated corn, and blends of the two were fed to chicks for 5 hr as the only feed. Feed consumption, water intake, and excretion were measured at the end of the test. The citrinin contents of the ADC at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo were 824, 599, 667, and 590 ppm and were 928, 541, 781, and 490 ppm for the ODC at the same periods. Water consumption and water excretion increased as the amount of citrinin intake increased. Neither drying method nor length of storage affected the citrinin activity in the corn. The citrinin in ODC was neither bound nor converted to a derivative that was unextractable.

Animal Feed

Effect of heat drying of corn on the extraction of citrinin.

Experiments were conducted to determine if drying citrinin-contaminated corn at varying temperatures and times either bound citrinin or converted it to a derivative that could not be extracted from the grain. Sterilized whole corn was inoculated with spores of a Penicillium spp. that produces citrinin and was incubated for 8 weeks. Following incubation, the corn was mixed and divided into three portions. In Experiment 1, one portion was dried at room temperature and the other portions were dried at 65 C for either 40 or 72 hr. In Experiment 2, one portion was air-dried and the other portions were dried at 60 C for 24 hr or 100 C for 3 hr. The corn was then ground to a texture suitable for feeding to chicks. Analysis of the corn indicated that temperature or length of drying time had no adverse effects on the extraction of citrinin from the corn. The citrinin was not rendered unextractable by either being bound because of heating or by being converted to a derivative. When fed to chicks for 5 hr, water consumption and urine excretion data indicated that there was no loss of citrinin activity because of method of drying.

Animal Feed

Effect of phytate on aflatoxin formation by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus in synthetic media.

The effect of phytate on the production of aflatoxins by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus grown on synthetic media was examined. In the absence of pH control (initial pH 4.5-6.5) for A. parasiticus, phytate (14.3 mM) caused a six-fold decrease in aflatoxins in the medium and a ten-fold decrease in those retained by the mycelia. When the initial pH of the medium was adjusted to 4.5 no effect on aflatoxin production was observed. With A. flavus or A. parasiticus grown on media with a higher initial pH value (6 to 7), the presence of phytate in the media caused an increase in aflatoxin production. These results are inconsistent with previous studies which indicated that phytate depresses aflatoxin production by rendering zinc, a necessary co-factor for aflatoxin biosynthesis, unavailable to the mold.

Aflatoxins

Naphtho-gamma-pyrone production by Aspergillus niger isolated from stored cottonseed.

Aspergillus niger was found to be the predominant fungal contaminant of stored cottonseed. Seven strains were isolated and grown on rice. The hexane-insoluble material from methylene chloride extracts of 2-week-old cultures contained components toxic to mice. Based on high-pressure thin-layer and liquid chromatographic analyses, the major components in the mixture were eight different naphtho-gamma-pyrones. Of these, the hydrated dimeric naphthopyrones aurasperones B and C occurred in higher yield than aurasperones A, iso-A, and D and the monomeric naphthopyrones flavasperone and rubrofusarin, all of which were present in the mixture. In addition, fonsecin monomethyl ether was isolated. This metabolite may be a precursor in the biosynthesis of the hydrated aurasperones; it has not been identified previously as a metabolite of A. niger. The relative amounts of the different naphthopyrones were dependent on both the growth substrate and the fungal isolate.

Aspergillus niger

Production of aflatoxins on soybean and cottonseed meals.

p6e production of aflatoxins by Aspergillus flavus SRRC-1000 growing on soybean (Forrest) and glandless cottonseed (Deltapine 16) meals was examined with respect to effects of zinc and phytate. Aflatoxins were not produced on unautoclaved soybean meal. Addition of zinc (as zinc sulfate) to autoclaved meal inhibited aflatoxin production and supplementation with sodium phytate relieved this inhibition. Addition of sodium phytate alone promoted production. When cottonseed meal was treated to release native phytate into the meal from phytate-sequestering globoids, aflatoxin production increased. However, the largest production on cottonseed meal occurred upon dialysis of the meal without releasing phytate, implying removal of a small molecular weight inhibitor.

Aflatoxins

Preliminary study of mycoflora and mycotoxins in grain dust from New Orleans area grain elevators.

Dust particles arising from disintegration of grain during handling and shipping may be inhaled by exposed barge and elevator workers. Since the normal grain mycoflora usually contain mycotoxin-producing fungi, these toxins could be natural contaminants of grain dust. Known mycoflora of commercial grain include species of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Fusarium-fungi that may produce ochratoxins, aflatoxins and zearalenone. A procedure was developed to extract simultaneously these toxins from grain dust. Initial extraction with methylene chloride and water was followed by specific cleanup procedures for each toxin and then by thin layer chromatographic quantitation. In 50-g samples the lowest level of detection for zearalenone was 50 ng of zearalenone/g of dust, for ochratoxin, 10 ng/g and for aflatoxin, 5 ng/g. Dust samples were collected at various locations in two grain elevators and their associated transfer facilities in the New Orleans area. Large amounts of dust that had settled upon floors, machinery and ledges were tested, as well as that which had been collected by dust control systems. Samples were analyzed for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone. None of the 15 samples contained any detectable amount of aflatoxins or ochratoxin A, but 10 of the 15 samples contained zearalenone at levels from 25 to 100 ng/g.

Dust

Toxicity of Secalonic acid D.

Toxicity of secalonic acid D was examined by using lethality, growth retardation, and histopathology as indexes. The ip LD50 values of 37, 31, and 27 mg/kg were obtained for Charles River CD-1, Texas (ICR), and Sprague-Dawley (CF-1) strains of mice, respectively. The ip LD50 was 52 mg/kg in female CD-1 mice. The iv LD50 was 25 mg/kg in CD-1 male mice. Oral LD50 values of 400 mg/kg in male CD-1 mice and 25 and greater than 400 mg/kg in Sprague-Dawley day-old and weanling (21 d) rats of both sexes, respectively, were obtained. Doses of 20 mg/kg or more ip retarded growth and doses of 30 mg/kg or more ip were lethal to CD-1 mice. Oral doses required to produce such effects in day-old rats were 5 and 20 mg/kg (or higher), respectively. All ip doses of secalonic acid D caused pulmonary atelectases and foccal peritonitis in male CD-1 mice. The latter involved surfaces of abdominal viscera and produced limited subcapsular necrosis of hepatic parenchyma. Exposure to a single lethal dose iv (25 mg/kg or more) of secalonic acid D caused limited hepatic portal necrosis but no peritonitis or other associated local effects observed in CD-1 male mice after ip exposure. Cytoplasmic liposis and loss of glycogen and RNA from hepatocytes were observed in a single mouse receiving 50 mg/kg iv. Death resulting from cardiac and/or pulmonary insufficiency was suggested by atelectasis, pulmonary hemorrhages and edema, and massive atrial dilation in mice that died after lethal ip or iv doses of secalonic acid D. Five daily sublethal ip doses in CD-1 male mice resulted in dose-dependent mortality (LD50, 11.5 mg/kg) indicating cumulative effects.

Animals

Moniliformin, a metabolite of Fusarium moniliforme NRRL 6322: purification and toxicity.

Fusarium moniliforme NRRL 6322 produced about 600 mg of recoverable moniliformin, a mycotoxic metabolite, per kg of corn grit medium. The moniliformin was extracted from the grits with methanol, purified by preparative thin-layer chromatography, and crystallized from ether. The 50% lethal dose for chicken embryos was 2.8 microgram per egg. For 1-day-old chicks dosed with moniliformin by crop intubation and for female and male mice injected intraperitoneally, the 50% lethal doses were 5.4, 20.9, and 29.1 mg per kg of body weight, respectively. The toxin did not cause a reaction on mouse skin.

Animals

Acceptance by swine and rats of corn amended with trichothecenes.

Swine and rats demonstrated the same response factor (i.e., the average amount of corn amended with trichothecenes consumed by animals per the average amount of uncontaminated corn consumed by animals) for consumption of corn amended with 40 ppm of either T-2 toxin or diacetoxyscirpenol Rat response factor for corn containing 40 ppm of vomitoxin was 1.8 times more than corn containing either T-2 toxin or diacetoxyscirpenol at 40 ppm. For the corn containing 40 ppm of vomitoxin, swine response factor was 1.8 times greater than rat response factor.

Animal Feed

Wild rice as fermentation substrate for mycotoxin production.

Many cereal grains have been studied for their suitability as substrates for the fermentative production of mycotoxins. However, except for aflatoxin, wild rice has not been investigated. Hence, five mold cultures known to produce the mycotoxins ochratoxin-A, penicillic acid, patulin, vomitoxin, and zearalenone were grown on wild rice under varying conditions of moisture and temperature to determine whether this grain would serve as a suitable substrate for toxin production. Under appropriate fermentation conditions, good yields of ochratoxin-A and moderate amounts of patulin were obtained, but only small amounts of penicillic acid, vomitoxin, and zearalenone were elaborated. An extract from a sample of naturally molded wild rice contained 0.8 microgram of patulin per g of rice. The predominating mold was identified as Aspergillus clavatus. Under identical cultural conditions, this isolate and a known patulin-producing strain of A. clavatus yielded approximately equivalent amounts of the mycotoxin.

Aspergillus

Production and analysis of citrinin in corn.

A convenient method for the production and analysis of citrinin in corn is described. Up to 2.964 g of citrinin can be produced by Penicillium citrinum per kg of corn by harvesting on day 21 or later. The analysis method has a lower detection limit of 0.25 ppm. Heating citrinin-contaminated corn destroys citrinin but may produce another toxin instead.

Animals

Evaluation of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum as a potential mycotoxin producer on soybeans.

Solvent extracts of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sclerotia were nontoxic to mice and chicken embryos; psoralens were not detected. Solvent extracts of soybeans inoculated with 10 strains of S. sclerotiorum were toxic on injection but nontoxic on per os administration to mice. The presence of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the soybeans may partially help explain toxicity by intraperitineal injection.

Animals