Screening of phytochemical from ethnomedicinal plants in Malaysia for use against toxigenic Aspergillus flavus

Food contamination by mycotoxins is an important food safety concern for grains and other agricultural products. Food contaminated with mycotoxins, particularly afla-toxins, can cause sometimes fatal acute illness and are associated with increased cancer risks (Buzby, 2003). In order to identify and develop novel antifungal agents, several plant extracts and compounds isolated were examined for their bioactivities. Previous researches on antifungal activity of extracts of several higher plants have indicated the possibility of exploiting natural anti-fungal agents for control of fungi although little are known in this field (Wannissorn et al., 2005). Most of the secondary plant compounds utilized in modern medicines were first discovered through