Table 1 Effect of heavy metal concentrations on melanin production by A. flavus and A. carbonarius

CuSO₄

Control(0 mM)

24,000 ± 0.235^d

7400 ± 0.02646^d

18,100 ± 0.0577^e,i

3500 ± 0.0741^d,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.1

24,800 ± 0.288^e

8000 ± 0.05774^e

18,440 ± 0.0577^f,i

4000 ± 0.0711^f,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.2

25,000 ± 0.388^f

8800 ± 0.0100^f

18,880 ± 0.0588^g,i

6100 ± 0.0773^g,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.5

29,000 ± 0.2881^h

10,500 ± 0.0057^h

19,300 ± 0.0244^h,i

8300 ± 0.0577^h,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

1

27,100 ± 0.0571^g

10,100 ± 0.0577^g

16,000 ± 0.0288,ⁱ

3900 ± 0.0577^e,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

2

15,000 ± 0.0571^c

7000 ± 05774^c

11,000 ± 0.0118^c,i

1200 ± 0.0611^c,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

3

10,330 ± 0.173^b

4300 ± 0.0529^b

7800 ± 0.0551^b,i

600 ± 0.0244^b,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

5

7533 ± 0.01732^a

1010 ± 0.1039^a

4700 ± 0.0579^a,i

120 ± 0.0177^a,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

FeSO₄

Control (0 mM)

24,000 ± 0.241^e

7400 ± 0.0544^e

18,100 ± 0.111^e,i

3500 ± 0.0571^e

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.1

25,500 ± 0.147^f

8000 ± 0.0571^f

19,867 ± 0.197^f,i

4100 ± 0.0583^f

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.2

26,260 ± 0.209^g

9010 ± 0.011^g

21,333 ± 0.0381^g,i

5100 ± 0.055^g

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.5

28,230 ± 0.0571^h

9510 ± 0.0551^h

24,000 ± 0.384^h,i

7200 ± 0.0588^h

<0.001*

<0.001*

1

16,333 ± 0.0381^d

6300 ± 0.0571^d

17,000 ± 0. 5771^d,i

3000 ± 0.061^d

<0.001*

<0.001*

2

11,333 ± 0.0322^c

5100 ± 0.0432^c

13,000 ± 0.5772^c,i

2100 ± 0.0561^c

<0.001*

<0.001*

3

7767 ± 0.0681^b

3800 ± 0.0477^b

8167 ± 0.579^b,i

1560 ± 0.064^b

<0.001*

<0.001*

5

3100 ± 0.0571^a

1200 ± 0.0117^a

3167 ± 0.0172^a,i

800 ± 0.0633^a

0.406

<0.001*

K₂Cr₂O₇

Control (0 mM)

24,133 ± 0.1271^d

7400 ± 0.5773^e

18,133 ± 100.00^e,i

3510 ± 0.001^d,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.1

53,000 ± 0.5410^h

16,300 ± 0.611^h

40,333 ± 0.100^h,i

9700 ± 0.057^h,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.2

48,667 ± 0.2410^g

12,100 ± 0.711^g

39,267 ± 0.0572^g,i

8100 ± 0.056^g,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.5

40,667 ± 0.0577^f

10,000 ± 0.0521^f

37,333 ± 0.0571^f,i

6200 ± 0.057^f,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

1

29,333 ± 0.3821^e

6200 ± 0.0577^d

17,667 ± 0.0573^d,i

4100 ± 0.573^e,i

0.321

<0.001*

2

22,333 ± 0.3841^c

4810 ± 0.0573^c

13,267 ± 0.0561^c,i

1900 ± 0.0573^c

<0.001*

<0.001*

3

18,600 ± 0.5711^b

1210 ± 0.5743^b

10,667 ± 0.0531^b,i

1120 ± 0.5773^b,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

5

8900 ± 0.5712^a

880 ± 0.0571 ^a

8133 ± 0.0051^a,i

930 ± 0.0441^a,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

CdSO₄

Control (0 mM)

23,800 ± 0.0171^h

7410 ± 0.0674^h

18,100 ± 0.0574^h,i

3500 ± 0.1774^h,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.1

21,000 ± 0.0722^g

3900 ± 0.0574^g

13,000 ± 0.0774^g,i

3000 ± 0.0774^g,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.2

18,330 ± 0.0572^f

3330 ± 0.0774^f

8100 ± 0.0574^f,i

2610 ± 0.5773^f,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

0.5

14,470 ± 0.0103^e

2130 ± 0.0273^e

6233 ± 0.0574^e,i

1810 ± 0.5773^e,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

1

13,267 ± 0.011^d

1830 ± 0.0774^d

5167 ± 0.0474^d,i

1260 ± 0.2774^d,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

2

10,060 ± 0.0571^c

1560 ± 0.0874^c

1200 ± 0.0504^c,i

1130 ± 0.0373^c,i

<0.001*

<0.001*

3

8100 ± 0.0355^b

1130 ± 0.0874^b

800 ± 0.03773^b,i

830 ± 0.05771^b,i

<0.001*

0.003*

5

5233 ± 0.07735^a

130 ± 0.0577^a

737 ± 0.05541^a,i

100 ± 0.0577^a,i

<0.001*

<0.001*