| Abstract: | Aspergillus ochraceus and A flavus were grown on synthetic media (SM) supplemented with 50 or 200 ml litre?1 SM on which A niger had been grown previously ( ‘A niger medium’ = ANM). Controls included SM acidified to pH 6.0 or 4.4, SM diluted with 50 or 200 ml litre?1 water, and diluted-acidified SM. For both fungi, higher growth inhibition was recorded on ANM-containing SM than in the controls. Aflatoxin formation was markedly inhibited on SM to which 20 ml litre?1 ANM extract (in methanol/chloroform, 2:1 v) had been added, although the growth of A flavus on that medium was almost the same as that in the control. It is concluded that the inhibitory effect of A niger on the growth of fungi should not be attributed merely to pH reduction, but also, mainly, to metabolites produced by the fungus in the growth medium, even at early stages of its growth. |
