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lrradiation Prepacked ground Indian spices which included pepper. turmeric, chilli. and coriander were found to be heavily contaminated with bacteria and molds. The total bacterial counts ranged between IO"-107. whereas total fungal counts ranged between 102-106. Red chilli was found to be the most contaminated spice. The bacterial population consisted mainly of spores. A dose of IO kGy was found to be effective in destroying these microbes in prepacked spices without affecting their quality attributes. To eliminate mold contamination a dose of 5 kGy was sufficient. During a six-month storage study of irradiated and unirradiated spices, the irradiated spices were found to retain their quality.

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MATERIALS & METHODSIrradiated (10 kGy) and unirradiated pre-packed whole and ground spices including black pepper, red chilli, and turmeric were examined by six different laboratories for microbiological quality. No colony forming units (CFU) were reported in the largest quantity of irradiated spices used in the study by three out of six laboratories. The other three laboratories reported counts ranging between O-90 CFU/g in irradiated samples. None of the six laboratories reported the presence of E. coli or B. cereus in the spices exposed to gamma irradiation. These data suggest that a standard plate count of O-100 CFU/g and a count of zero CFU/g for E. coli and B. cereus be fixed for spices exposed to a 10 kGy dose of gamma rays. SpicesPre-packed (1OOg) whole and ground spices were obtained from a local Bombay market. These included black pepper (Piper n&rum), red chilli (Can&urn annum), and turmeric (Curcuma Donna). The -, market packs-in duplicate were resealed in 1.50 gauge polyethylene pouches that were placed inside a cardboard carton for irradiation. Irradiation

Aspergillusflavus and Aspergillus parasiticus produced ethylene during early growth. However, the onset of toxin biosynthesis was marked by the absence of ethylene evolution. 2-Chloroethyl phosphonic acid, an ethylene-generating compound, inhibited aflatoxin biosynthesis in vivo. The reciprocal relationship between the production of aflatoxin and ethylene by the organism may indicate the involvement of the latter in the regulation of aflatoxin biogenesis. Aflatoxins are synthesized as secondary metabolites by strains of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus (3). The events which trigger the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in fungi are not yet understood (6). Therefore, there is a need to investigate the profound changes taking place in fungal physiology before and after the onset of aflatoxin biosynthesis. A number of fungi including certain aspergilli are also known to produce ethylene (4). The biological significance of fungal ethylene is obscure (1). The relationship between ethylene and aflatoxin biogeneses in aflatoxin-producing fungi was therefore studied. The use of 2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid (CEPA) as a convenient means of producing ethylene in vitro by a nonenzymatic reaction is known (11, 12). This system has been employed for assessing the role of ethylene in aflatoxin biogenesis by A. parasiticus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Organism and culture conditions. Aflatoxin-producing