ABSTRACT
Unprocessed honey was inoculated with toxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 5862 and A. parasiticus NRRL 2999. The fungi grew and sporulated in varying amounts of honey diluted with water, but none of the cultures produced detectable levels of aflatoxin. Growth and subsequent sporulation were seen only in media containing up to and including 60% of honey. Media having 40% of honey showed growth and sporulation by day two. Neither species of Aspergillus produced toxins even in 10% honey. These results confirm our earlier observations that pure honey inhibited fungal growth and now even diluted honey seems capable of inhibiting toxin production or possibly neutralizing it. The general procedures recommended by the AOAC for extraction and thin layer chromatography were applied successfully in analyzing the honey substrate for aflatoxin.
