Abstract
The consumption of fermented foods contaminated with aflatoxin B1 is linked to aflatoxicosis. Aflatoxicosis is a serious problem in developing countries with environmental conditions appropriate for the biosynthesis of AFB1 byAspergillus flavus andAspergillus parasiticus. In Africa, especially in Ghana and Nigeria, there is a very high risk of liver cancer which is caused by the consumption of AFB1-intoxicated, traditionally fermented maize and sorghum products. It is suggested that one way to diminish this health risk might be the reduction of the AFB1 concentration in foods by bacteria. Especially bacteria used for food fermentation processes are of great importance, with a special emphasis on lactic acid bacteria which are involved in traditionally fermented African foods based on maize and sorghum.Most publications dealing with aflatoxin degradation by microorganisms describe a phosphate buffer test system for the performance of degradation experiments. In contrast to that, a test system based on physiological active bacterial and yeast cells has been developed, to assess food fermentation organisms for their ability to reduce the AFB1 concentration in vitro. The aflatoxin B1 concentration in test samples was quatitatively determined by HPLC.The assessment of lactic acid bacteria originating from different German and other European culture collections only showed a very slight reduction of the AFB1 concentration from 3% to 12%. Screening experiments in which other bacterial genera and lactic acid bacteria, isolated from different African foods have been assessed, in most cases showed the same results. However, some bacterial strains, e.g. strains of the genusBacillus derived from European culture collections and strains of the genusLactobacillus isolated from African foods, caused a release of AFB1 which was chemically bound before to components of the test medium and which therefore could not be extracted with chloroform.A process quite similar to that may happen during food fermentations. Different experiments showed that e.g. cellulose can bind AFB1 very effectively. Cellulose and different other food components are well known to absorb AFB1. During fermentation the cellulose and other AFB1-absorbing components may be degraded and the AFB1 will be released again.The only bacterial strain known as yet which is able to reduce the AFB1 concentration in vitro and in different food comodities isNocardia corynebacteroides (formerFlavobacterium aurantiacum). Nevertheless the mechanism of this AFB1 reduction is actually not well understood, it still has to be investigated. In the meantime several other bacterial strains, presumably from the taxonomic group of theActinomycetes could be proved to be effective reducers of the AFB1 concentration in our in vitro test system. Because as yet no food relevant microorganism could be found, which is able to degrade AFB1, these new strains in general offer the possibility for a genetic modification of food relevant microorganisms. This seems to be the way to come to starter cultures which are able to degrade AFB1 during food fermentations.