Total Fungal Count and Changes Triggered in Pysico-Chemical Properties of Stored Wheat Grain.

Abstract

: Environmental and climatic conditions have been worsening with each increasing day, which is leaving a direct effect on
food commodity and creating many issues of contamination related to health. Among all contaminants the Mycotoxin, create a
serious hazardous problem in the agricultural sector as well as leaving negative consequences on human health and are known as
potent mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic and may cause death in severe cases, after ingestion or exposure. Pakistan being an
agricultural country producing large quantities of wheat annually, due to climatic condition such as humidity and drought creating
the problemof aflatoxin production in crops during growth at fields and this problem expands during storage, which becomes a
major cause of wheat loss, effected quality and make wheat unsuitable for human consumption. For this purpose wheat samples was
taken from the storage houses to assess their mycotoxin load and their impact on chemical properties of grain. It was observed from
present research dissertation that after long storage period wheat carrying high load of fungi that produce different mycotoxins due
to presence of high moisture content which decreases the grain quality by deteriorating the starch, protein and hardness level.