Peanut (Arachis hypogea) Genotypes Regulate the Accumulation of Aflatoxin Upon Infection: Implications for Aflatoxin Mitigation

Abstract

Aflatoxin contamination of peanut is a major food safety issue to the harmful effects of aflatoxin on human and animal health. The cultivation of aflatoxin resistant varieties of peanut is a promising strategy to combat aflatoxin contamination of peanuts. This study aimed at determining kernel resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in 25 peanut germplasms collected from different areas of Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda based on their phenotypic characteristics. The peanuts were inoculated with toxigenic Aspergillus flavus 1EM1901 and incubated at 28^oC for 7 days. Out of the 25 germplasms tested, 64% exhibited kernel resistance to aflatoxin accumulation. There was a negative correlation between fungal growth on kernels and aflatoxin accumulation. However, this relationship was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Two of the resistant germplasms recorded a decrease in aflatoxin accumulation when challenged with toxigenic A. flavus. This unusual phenomenon pointed towards novel peanut germplasms that can be exploited further in the breeding of peanut for aflatoxin resistance.