Abstract
In the tropics and subtropics, maize (Zea mays) and other crops are frequently contaminated with aflatoxins by Aspergillus flavus. Treatment of crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol products can significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination. Treated crops contain up to 100% fewer aflatoxins compared with untreated crops. However, there is the notion that protecting crops from aflatoxin contamination may result in increased accumulation of other toxins, particularly fumonisins produced by a few Fusarium species. The objective of this study was to determine if treatment of maize with aflatoxin biocontrol products increased fumonisin concentration and fumonisin-producing fungi in grains. Over 200 maize samples from fields treated with atoxigenic biocontrol products in Nigeria and Ghana were examined for fumonisin content and contrasted with maize from untreated fields. Apart from low aflatoxin levels, most treated maize also harbored fumonisin levels considered safe by the European Union (<1 part per million; ppm). Most untreated maize also harbored equally low fumonisin levels but contained higher aflatoxin levels. In addition, during one year, we detected considerably lower Fusarium spp. densities in treated maize than in untreated maize. Our results do not support the hypothesis that treating crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus used in biocontrol formulations results in higher grain fumonisin levels. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license .
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Most maize from atoxigenic-treated fields had fumonisin levels below 1 ppm, considered safe by the European Union.
- Outcome
- fumonisin levelse1
- Value
- <1 part per million; ppme1
- Qualifier
- considered safe by the European Unione1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in Maize”
e1“Apart from low aflatoxin levels, most treated maize also harbored fumonisin levels considered safe by the European Union (<1 part per million; ppm)”
Claim · model-written summary
Untreated maize had higher aflatoxin levels than maize from atoxigenic-treated fields.
- Treatment
- atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol productse0
- Outcome
- aflatoxin levelse2
- Direction
- highere2
- Comparator
- untreated maizee2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in Maize”
e0“Treatment of crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol products can significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination”
e2“Most untreated maize also harbored equally low fumonisin levels but contained higher aflatoxin levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Untreated maize had equally low fumonisin levels as treated maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in Maize”
e2“Most untreated maize also harbored equally low fumonisin levels but contained higher aflatoxin levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Treated maize had considerably lower Fusarium spp. densities than untreated maize during one year.
- Treatment
- atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol productse0
- Outcome
- Fusarium spp. densitiese3
- Direction
- lowere3
- Qualifier
- during one yeare3
- Comparator
- untreated maizee3
FusariumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in Maize”
e0“Treatment of crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol products can significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination”
e3“during one year, we detected considerably lower Fusarium spp. densities in treated maize than in untreated maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Treating crops with atoxigenic A. flavus biocontrol isolates did not increase grain fumonisin levels.
- Treatment
- treating crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus used in biocontrol formulationse4
- Outcome
- grain fumonisin levelse4
- Direction
- highere4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“in Maize”
e4“Our results do not support the hypothesis that treating crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus used in biocontrol formulations results in higher grain fumonisin levels”
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