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Fungal incidence and aflatoxins contamination in two major chilli varieties of Sindh, Pakistan
Abstract
Chilli crop is susceptible to microbial attack, particularly toxigenic fungi that produce aflatoxins. The presence of higher levels of aflatoxin in chillies raises health and economic concerns. Post-harvest management may play an important role in causing physical damage to red chillies in presence of moisture, leading to increased aflatoxins levels. A recent study investigated two chilli varieties viz., Sanam and Longi collected from various areas of Sindh, Pakistan. The level of aflatoxins in chillies dried on net surfaces was found between the range of 2.3-7.1 µg kg-1 whereas samples dried on cemented ground showed aflatoxin contamination from 6.7-14.5 µg kg-1, aflatoxin contamination in most of the samples collected from different areas was less than 20 µg kg-1. The maximum incidence of Aspergillus flavus was found in all 81 chilli samples followed by A. niger, A. parasiticus, A. fumigatus, A. candidus, and A. terreus. These findings indicate that 60-80 percent aflatoxins contamination in chilli samples contained aflatoxins within the acceptable range 20 µg kg-1 (ppb) for people utilization as described by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
