Susceptibility of strawberries, blackberries, and cherries to Aspergillus mold growth and aflatoxin production.

The susceptibility of blackberries, cherries, and strawberries to Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin production has been examined. Three aflatoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus, A. flavus ATCC 15548 and NRRL 3251 as well as A. parasiticus NRRL 2999, were cultured on homogenates of the fruits for 14 days at 28 +/- 2 degrees C. Percent mycelial growth and spore infestation were determined each day with a calibrated grid. At day 14 each culture was frozen at -5 degrees C until aflatoxins were extracted with methylene chloride and water. Aflatoxins were separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) with benzene-methanol-acetic acid (90 + 5 + 5). This extraction and solvent system provided satisfactory separations of the aflatoxins and was free of background interference on the TLC plates. Although all fruits served as substrates for both Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin production, cherries appeared to be a more favorable substrate than did blackberries, and the latter was more favorable than strawberries. Whereas A. flavus produced both B1 and G1 on all substrates, it yielded B2 and G2 only on cherries. Although A. parasiticus NRRL 2999 synthesized B1, B2, G1, and G2 on both blackberries and cherries, no aflatoxins were detected on strawberries. In contrast, A. flavus NRRL 3251 failed to produce detectable levels of aflatoxin on any substrate. All substrates supported both mycelial growth and subsequent sporulation with cherries greater than blackberries greater than strawberries.