title: Targeting Aflatoxin Biosynthetic Genes.
abstract: Chemical detoxification and physical destruction of aflatoxins in foods and feed commodities are mostly unattainable in a way that preserves the edibility of the food. Therefore, preventing mycotoxins in general and aflatoxins in particular from entering the food chain is a better approach. This requires early detection of the aflatoxin-causing organisms. Detection and quantification of aflatoxin-producing fungi has always been a challenge, especially within species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. Culture-based methods require a high level of expertise and a list of sophisticated equipment. Furthermore, even for a trained taxonomist, species that are identical in morphology, physiology, and nutritional aspects can be challenging to classify. Fungal taxonomy has changed over the past few decades; more species are being reclassified, and new species are being described due to advances in sequencing and genome assembly. These developments make the use of PCR-based approaches practical, rapid, and more reliable for the identification of fungi to the species level. This chapter presents a variety of protocols to detect and quantify aflatoxin-producing fungi using mycotoxin biosynthesis pathway genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Soil and Agriculture Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Ali Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Srour
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Soil and Agriculture Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fakhoury
authors.affiliation: Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd., New Orleans, LA, 70124, USA. Robert.Brown@ARS.USDA.GOV.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D057230:Limit of Detection; D010407:Penicillium / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins
keywords: Aflatoxins; Aspergillus; Biosynthesis; Fungi; Mycotoxins; PCR; Penicillium; qPCR