The filamentous fungi Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus
flavus synthesize aflatoxin under appropriate environmental
conditions on a variety of economically
important, susceptible food and feed crops including
peanuts, tree nuts, corn, and cottonseed (reviewed in Cary
et al., 2000). Aflatoxins are extremely mutagenic and
carcinogenic in certain animals and there is a strong
epidemiological link between aflatoxin ingestion and
hepatocellular carcinoma in humans (reviewed in Council
for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), 2003).