An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for monitoring of Aspergillus ochraceus growth in coffee powder, chilli powder and poultry feed

Abstract

Aims: The work was carried out to develop an immunoassay for estimation of Aspergillus ochraceus biomass on solid substrate. Methods and Results: An indirect noncompetitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for determination of fungal biomass in food commodities using antibody raised against A. ochraceus mycelial antigen. The sensitivity of the assay was linear in the range of 10–160 μg fungal biomass per millilitre extract of coffee (R2 = 0·989), poultry feed (R2 = 0·987) and chilli (R2 = 0·989). The growth of A. ochraceus in the food commodities like chilli, coffee beans and poultry feed, under the influence of two levels of moisture (20% and 30%) were monitored by the ELISA. The maximum fungal colonization was observed in poultry feed (9·8 and 11·8 mg g−1) followed by coffee beans (6·8 and 11·3 mg g−1) and chilli (5·1 and 6·3 mg g−1) at 20% and 30% moisture after 20 days of incubation. Similarly the fungus produced maximum ochratoxin A in poultry feed (25 and 120 μg g−1) followed by coffee beans (8 and 24 μg g−1) and chilli (0·2 and 0·45 μg g−1) at 20% and 30% moisture after 20 days of incubation. Conclusions: The method can be used for quantitative estimation of fungal biomass and comparison of fungal colonization in food substrates varying in composition. Significance and Impact of the Study: The method can be adapted for studying the fungal colonization in different solid substrates under different culture condition. The method is sensitive to mould colonization of ≥0·02% (w/w) and can be used for early detection of specific fungal infestation in food commodities.

Aflatoxins contamination in chilli samples from Pakistan

“…aflQ (Yu et al, 2004). Finally, a PCR method to detect A. flavus in chilli powder would be more relevant than the one proposed to detect A. ochraceus (Anand & Rati, 2006): A. ochraceus is associated with ochratoxin A production for which there are no regulations for chillies currently in the EU.…”

Capsicum and Mycotoxin Contamination: State of the Art in a Global Context

“…Moulds in paprika can also be detected by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial kit. Kisko´et al (1998) used a commercial ELISA kit for detection of Penicillium and Aspergillus species in paprika samples and Anand and Rati (2006) used an ELISA kit for monitoring Aspergillus ochraceus in chilli powder. Most of these techniques for total moulds detection are useless for mycotoxigenic moulds or for the detection of a specific species.…”

Development of Indirect Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay to Detect Fusarium verticillioides in Poultry Feed Samples

“…and Penicillium sp. in food [32,33,34], few reports on ELISA for Fusarium sp. [20,22,35,36] were found to discuss the current data.…”