Cistus incanus L. extract inhibits Aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus parasiticus in macadamia nuts

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites, with aflatoxin B1 being the most common, reported as carcinogenic, teratogenic and genotoxic. This study investigates the antiaflatoxigenic efficacy of the herbaceous plant Cistus incanus L. against Aspergillus parasiticus in two substrates, yeast extract sucrose medium and macadamia nuts. The methanolic extract of Cistus incanus showed pronounced antiaflatoxigenic ability, inhibiting aflatoxin B1 production in both substrates. AFB1 production was decreased significantly in a percentage of 87.1-90.1% after Cistus incanus extract addition in YES medium. The extract effectiveness was also observed in macadamia nuts, where the AFB1 production by Aspergillus parasiticus was reduced in a percentage of 72.5-85.9%. Moreover, the risk assessment was estimated taking into account the maximum amounts of AFB1 produced in inoculated samples with and without Cistus incanus addition. It was revealed that Cistus incanus presence leads to a lesser exposure of AFB1 to consumers.