COMPARATIVE RESPONSE OF BROWN RICE GENOTYPES TO INDIGENOUS PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST ASPERGILLUS AND AFLATOXINS

Abstract

Aflatoxins, toxic metabolites produced mainly by the Aspergillus flavus (Af) and A. parasiticus (Ap), are major contaminants in food commodities including brown rice, posing severe health and economic challenges. This study investigated the inhibitory potential of aqueous extracts (AE) from four medicinal plants, Calotropis gigantea (C.g), Azadirachta indica (A.i), Eucalyptus globulus (E.g), and Spinacia oleracea (S.o) against the growth of Aspergillus flavus (Af) and Aspergillus parasiticus (Ap), as well as the aflatoxins production in Pakistani Super Kernel Basmati brown rice. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used for the experiment. The plant aqueous extracts (AE) were applied in 3 different concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75% w/v), and the antifungal and anti-aflatoxins effects were evaluated on the 0, 7^th, and 14^th days of storage. The inhibitory potential of all four medicinal plants’ AE against Af and Ap and aflatoxins formation followed the order: A.i > E.g > C.g > S.o. The mean maximum antifungal activity against Af and Ap and aflatoxins inhibition potential was recorded at 0.75 % concentration of AE from A.i plant on the 0 day, while the mean minimum antifungal and aflatoxins inhibition potential was recorded at 0.25% concentration of AE from S.o on the 14^th day. The study underscores the significant potential of plant-based extracts as eco-friendly bio-preservatives to mitigate aflatoxins contamination, ensuring food safety and reducing reliance on synthetic fungicides.