Research progress on identification of Aspergillus fungi in traditional Chinese medicinal materials / 中草药

ABSTRACT

The issues of mycotoxin contamination in herbal materials have been frequently reported in recent years, which has attracted broad attention at home and abroad. Mycotoxins can trigger hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and other significant toxic effects, threatening the consumer health seriously. Aspergillus species are one of the main sources of fungal contamination in herbal materials. The rapid and accurate identification of Aspergillus species in herbal materials can provide early warning of mycotoxin contamination, which is of great significance for ensuring the efficacy and safety of herbal materials. In this study, the research progress on the classification and discrimination of Aspergillus species were systematically summarized. Moreover, the identification of Aspergillus species in herbal materials was also reviewed. Meanwhile, we explored the prospect of identifying Aspergillus species in Chinese herbal medicines using high-throughput sequencing.