Spore suspension of A. carbonarius (ATHUM 5659) was prepared
by collecting spores from 7-day old colonies (grown on Malt Extract
Agar; MEA at 25 °C) in distilled sterilized water supplemented with
0.01% Tween 80 to assist in the dispersal of conidia (107 spores/mL).
Fungal cultures were stored on MEA plates (Lab M Limited, United
Kingdom) at 2–8 °C and subcultured once a week.