RECHERCHE DES POPULATIONS D’ASPERGILLUS SECTION FLAVI AFLATOXINOGENES DANS LES AMANDES COMMERCIALISÉES DANS TROIS RÉGIONS ALGÉRIENNES

Abstract

The objective of this research was to isolate and identify the aflatoxigenic Aspergillus section Flavi populations in samples of almonds commercialized in three regions of northern Algeria. Four varieties of almonds: local almonds (shelled and unshelled), and shelled almonds imported from the United States (blanched and non-blanched) were drawn from popular markets in three regions of Algeria: Blida, Medea and Tipaza. Fungal analysis results showed that the dominant fungal genera are Aspergillus (52.7%) and Penicillium (47.3%).The main isolated species which belong to Flavi and Nigri sections of the Aspergillus genus, were the most dominant ones with 56.1% and 43.4% respectively of the total of Aspergillus. The screening of 61 fungal isolates of the Aspergillus section Flavi was determined on Coconut Agar Medium (CAM). The production was then confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The results obtained from CAM and TLC showed a rate of 11.5% and 39.3% (24 isolates) respectively.
The study of morphological features and chemotype of the aflatoxigenic Aspergillus section Flavi populations isolates indicates that this section is dominated by the typical species A. flavus (91.7%).