Evaluation of gaseous allyl isothiocyanate against the growth of mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxin production in corn stored for 6 months

Abstract BACKGROUND Brazil produces approximately 63 million tons of corn kernels annually, which is commonly contaminated with fungi and mycotoxins. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of gaseous allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus and Fusarium verticillioides , and mycotoxin production (aflatoxins B 1 , B 2 , G 1 and G 2 , fumonisins B 1 and B 2 ) in corn during 180 days of storage. RESULTS AITC at 50 µL L −1 resulted in a significant reduction of the fungal population ( P < 0.05) after 180 days, decreasing 3.17 log(CFU g −1 ) and 3.9 log(CFU g −1 ) of A. parasiticus and F. verticillioides respectively in comparison with the control. In addition, 10 and 50 µL L −1 treatments prevented the production of fumonisin B 1 for the whole period. Aflatoxins were not detected in either control or treated groups. Residual levels of AITC in corn treated with 10 µL L −1 and 50 µL L −1 were detected up to 14 days and 30 days respectively. CONCLUSION Prophylactic treatment with AITC reduced the fungal population and inhibited fumonisin B 1 production in stored corn, exhibiting great potential to be applied in corn silos to prevent fungi contamination and minimize mycotoxin levels. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry