Miss Amelia Keyser

MSc Student

Research Interests

In 2006 I completed my B.Sc(Hons) degree in Microbiology at FABI, University of Pretoria. My project was to investigate the diversity of Trichoderma species regarding South African environments. Trichoderma consists of a number of important species that find application in several areas of environmental and industrial interest, such as biological control of plant pathogens and production of commercial enzymes. Certain strains of Trichoderma are producers of mycotoxins, which are of concern especially in the food industry.

For my Masters degree (2007-2009) I'm investigating the migration of storage fungi and their mycotoxins thoughout the maize milling process. Various maize mills will be sampled. Sample analysis includes; fungal identification and enumeration; molecular identification via phylogenetic analysis & mycotoxin testing.