Mycotoxins and their derivatives since their discoveries and until the present time are behind unspecified economic and medical damages. Aflatoxins are classified according to their physical–chemical and toxicological characters in the most dangerous row of the mycotoxins. These aflatoxins are in part responsible, of irreversible medical disasters that are not easily manageable such as cancer of the liver and kidneys, and in the other part, of losses in the stored cereal products. Based on these crucial findings, monitoring of this toxin became imperative in post-harvest food products, during storage, during transformation chain and even during the long phases of conservation. Vigilance of this toxin is delivered by detection methods using very advanced technologies to respond in the shortest possible times. In addition, the knowledge of factors supporting the biosynthesis of aflatoxins such as the temperature, moisture content, concentration of nitrogen and carbon, and the molecules responsible for the genetic control of the synthesis will be reflected later in the choice of bio-control techniques. This control is currently based on new strategies using the bioactives substances of the plants, the lactic bacteria and some strains of actinomycetes that have good inhibiting activity against aflatoxins with fewer side effects on Man. On the other hand, this brief review summarizes the results of new studies demonstrating the toxicity of the toxin, new detection methods and bio-control

Plant extracts and their constituents have a long history as antifungal agents, but their use in biotechnology as preservatives, due to the increasing resistance of fungi to fungicides, has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to assess in vitro antifungal and antimycotoxigenic power of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Citrullus colocynthis seeds, an aromatic and medicinal plant, of Algerian flora, against two toxigenic species of the genera Aspergillus responsible of contamination of wheat stored. The antifungal and antimycotoxigenic activity of methanolic and aqueous extracts were screened against Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus flavus. Dillution method was used to investigate the antimicrobial and antimycotoxigenic activity. These bioassays are preceded by a phytochemical screening. The phytochemical analysis of seeds extracts revealed the presence of some chemical groups (polyphenols, steroids and alkaloids) which can express the desired activities. The results suggest that the extracts showed a very good antifungal activity against A. ochraceus, but for A. flavus any antifungal activity was recorded. The extracts have good antiochratoxigenic power in liquid medium. This evaluation confirms that the extracts of C. colocynthis seeds used at low concentration may have significant potential for biological control of fungi and theirs toxins. Key words: Citrullus colocynthis, methanolic extract, aqueous extract, phytochemical screening, antifungal activity, antimycotoxigenic activity, antiochratoxigenic activity.