Aflatoxins and fungal flora in lentil (Lens esculenta L.).

Fungal flora of 20 samples of lentil seeds collected from Assiut governorate, Egypt, were studied. Seventeen genera and 13 species were isolated on glucose- (15 genera and 27 species), cellulose- (15 genera and 25 species)- Czapek's agar media at 28 degrees C. The most common species were as follows: on glucose-Czapek's agar, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger, A. flavus, A. terreus, Penicillium notatum and Rhizopus oryzae and on cellulose agar, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. flavus and P. notatum. Thin layer chromatographic (TLC) analysis and a biological test (Artemia salina) indicated the presence and the toxicity of aflatoxin in the extract of one sample (aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, at 20 mg/kg, total). This is the first report of the natural occurrence of aflatoxins in lentils.