Growth and Aflaxtoxin Production by Aspergillus parasiticus in the Presence of Lactobacillus casei.

When a mineral salts-glucose broth was inoculated simultaneously with Aspergillus parasiticus and Lactobacillus casei and incubated at 28 C for 10 days, (a) larger numbers of L. casei survived than when the bacterium was grown alone, (b) growth of A. parasiticus initially was more rapid but total growth during the incubation was comparable to that of the mold growing alone, (c) production of aflatoxin was less than when the mold grew alone and (d) degradation of aflatoxin by the mold was somewhat greater than when the mold grew alone. Growth of L. casei for 3 days before adding A. parasiticus resulted in (a) better survival of L. casei than when it grew alone but not better than when the two organisms were added to broth simultaneously, (b) slower growth of A. parasiticus than when it grew alone, (c) production of less aflatoxin than when the mold grew alone or when both organisms were added to broth simultaneously and (d) no apparent degradation of aflatoxin during the 10-day incubation period.