Fungi associated with herbal drug plants during storage

Abstract

Samples of sundried herbal drug plant parts stored for sale were purchased from four herbal markets located in Ibadan, Nigeria. The plant parts were analysed for mycoflora associated with their storage. Fungal colony counts ranged from 0.60 x 10(2) to 3.50 x 10(2) within the period of the survey. Twenty eight fungal species were isolated with the species of Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Fusarium moniliforme, Trichoderma viride, Penicillium expansum and Mucor fragilis being the dominant ones. There were marked differences between the flora obtained on fresh plant parts and those stored for sale. The results obtained showed that herbal drug plant pieces stored for sale in the markets are hazardous for human health. There is therefore the need for some form of quality control and decontamination before they are used for herbal drug preparations.

Fungi and Aflatoxin Occurrence in Fresh and Dried Vegetables Marketed in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria

“…Our results agree with earlier reports on fungi and mycotoxins contamination in bitter leaf conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria where isolates of aflatoxin B1 was detected from mouldy vegetable material offered for sale with the highest concentration of 94 µg/kg [22]. Efuntoye [1] also reported the presence of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2 and aflatoxin G1 as contaminants of herbal plants such as bitter leaf. In Ethopia, Fufa and Urga [23] had previously reported that aflatoxin B1 within the range of 100-525 µg/kg contaminated shiro and ground red pepper, while Hell et al [13] reported levels of upto 3.2 µg/kg and 6.0 µg/kg aflatoxin B1 as contaminant of dried hot chili and okra respectively within Benin, Mali and Togo.…”

“…A preliminary survey of fungi and mycotoxin contamination of fresh and dried vegetable plants stored for sale in Nigerian markets revealed that they are suitable substrates for various fungi growth and aflatoxins contamination [1]. The fungi family have continuously raised global food safety concerns due to their ability to colonize food items and either cause physical damage or release secondary metabolites which may be toxic [2].…”

Microbiological Quality of Various Medicinal Herbal Teas and Coffee Substitutes

“…A few reports demonstrating microbial contamination of medicinal herbs from various parts of the world exist in the literature. Rizzo et al (2004) indicated that medicinal plants in Argentina harbored toxigenic fungi such as A. fl avus, A. parasiticus and several members of the Genus Fusarium; Efuntoye (1996) showed that dried medicinal plants from Nigerian herb markets contained A. flavus, A. parasiticus and A. ochraceus. The same investigator (1999) reported that the above fungal isolates were capable of elaborating mycotoxins when grown on semi-synthetic media.…”

Efeito da irradiação na microbiota fúngica de plantas medicinais

“…Em mercados públicos da cidade de Lisboa, Portugal, Martins et al (2001) UFC/g. Na Nigéria, a contagem de fungos em amostras de plantas, antes da secagem e após armazenamento, variou de 0,60 x 10 2 a 3,5 x 10 2 UFC/g, dentro dos padrões internacionais exigidos (EFUNTOYE, 1996). Rizzo et al (2004) avaliaram, na Argentina, 152 plantas medicinais secas e também detectaram elevados níveis de contaminação fúngica.…”