Natural occurrence of Alternaria mycotoxins in sorghum and ragi from North Bihar, India.

The natural occurrence of major Alternaria mycotoxins i.e. alternariol (AOH), alternariol methyl ether (AME), altenuene (ALT), altertoxin-1 (ATX-1) and tenuazonic acid (TA) has been investigated in sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) and ragi (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.) collected from North Bihar. Nine out of 20 sorghum samples, and three out of eight ragi samples, were found to be contaminated with one to three Alternaria mycotoxins. The toxin elaborating potential of Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler strains isolated from sorghum and ragi have also been investigated. Out of 16 isolates of A. alternata (Fr.) Keissler, mycotoxins were detected in only 10.