USDA-ARS, Food and Feed Safety Research Unit

1 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Environment

Inhibition of Aspergillus flavus Growth and Aflatoxin Production in Transgenic Maize Expressing the α-amylase Inhibitor from Lablab purpureus L.

Kanniah Rajasekaran¹, Ronald J. Sayler², Rajtilak Majumdar¹, Christine M. Sickler¹, Jeffrey W. Cary¹

¹Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, ²Department of Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas

Here we present a protocol to analyze Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production in maize kernels expressing an antifungal protein. Using a GFP-expressing A. flavus strain we monitored the infection and spread of the fungus in mature kernels in real time. The assay is rapid, reliable, and reproducible.