Screening and Identification of an Aflatoxin B 1 -Degradation Strain from Moldy Cereals

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), as a kind of mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus spp., is a highly toxic substance and widely distributed in food matrix. Cumarin was used first as the only carbon and energy source to screen the strains which were separated from different kinds of food. The strains selected were then added into nutrient agar and broth media to assess the ability to deplete AFB1. Results showed that a strain isolated from mustiness foodstuff was able to degrade AFB1 in nutrient broth, with a degradation rate of 26.3% after 48h fermentation. The microorganism was identified as a strain of Aspergillus niger, with analysis of phylogenetic tree based on 18S rDNA. This provides a potential solution for biological degradation of AFB1.