Antifungal activity and detoxification by Candida albicans against Aspergillus parasiticus and aflatoxin production

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) is an agricultural product invaded by various fungi during harvest and storage resulting in a huge amount of loss and damage. An effective way to prevent this loss is to inhibit the growth of mycotoxin-producing fungi and to degrade mycotoxins without using chemicals and losing nutritional value. The use of specific microorganisms is an effective way of bio-detoxification. In this study, the effect of Candida albicans (10 3 , 10 5 , and 10 7 colony forming units (CFU)/mL) on the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus (10 2 and 10 4 spores/g) in laboratory culture medium and wheat grain samples was investigated. The results revealed that C. albicans significantly reduced the growth rate of the fungus compared to the control sample. Furthermore, C. albicans reduced the level of aflatoxins of types B1 and G1 and total aflatoxin in culture medium and wheat grain samples. It should be noted that in all concentrations and conditions, no growth of aflatoxins of types B2 and G2 was observed. According to our results, C. albicans has inhibitory effects on A. parasiticus and can therefore be introduced as a bio-alternative in wheat grain preservation. Graphical abstract