Growth and Aflatoxin Production by Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 2999 in the Presence of Acetic or Propionic Acid and at Different Initial pH Values

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Abstract
Experiments were done to determine effects of different concentrations of acetic or propionic acid in a glucose-yeast extract-salts medium with an initial pH value of 4,5 or 5.5 on growth and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 2999. Amounts of aflatoxin were measured with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The maximum concentration of acetic or propionic acid that permitted growth at an initial pH of 5.5 was 1% after 7 d of incubation and 0.25% after 3 d of incubation, respectively. When the initial pH of the medium was 4.5, the maximum concentration of acetic or propionic acid that permitted growth was 0.25 or 0.1%, respectively. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in amount of mycelial (dry weight) produced by cultures in the presence of 0.0, 0.25, 0.50 or 0.75% acetic acid. Amounts of aflatoxin B1 and G1 produced decreased with an increasing concentration of acetic acid. Increasing concentrations of propionic acid caused a decrease in the amount of mycelial dry weight and aflatoxin produced by cultures growing in the medium with an initial pH of 5.5. At an initial pH of 4.5 mycelial growth was slow and at 3 d of incubation amounts of aflatoxin B1 and G1 produced were reduced as concentrations of acetic acid increased. This also was true for propionic acid in the medium with an initial pH of 4.5. Cultures with an extended lag phase in the presence of acetic or propionic acid overcame this and then produced large amounts of aflatoxin B1 and G1 at 7 and 10 d of incubation.