What foods contain aflatoxins?

Aflatoxins can occur in foods such as groundnuts, tree nuts, maize, rice, figs and other dried foods, spices, crude vegetable oils and cocoa beans, as a result of fungal contamination before and after harvest. Several types of aflatoxins are produced naturally.

What foods are most prone to aflatoxin contamination?

Pre-harvest contamination with aflatoxins is mainly limited to maize, cottonseed, peanuts and tree nuts. Post-harvest contamination can be found in a variety of other crops such as coffee, rice and spices.

Do legumes have aflatoxins?

Aflatoxin levels in cereals and legumes and their products Cereals and legumes, though widely cultivated and consumed in Africa, are known to be highly sensitive to aflatoxin contamination.

What do mycotoxins do?

Mycotoxins have the potential for both acute and chronic health effects via ingestion, skin contact, inhalation, and entering the blood stream and lymphatic system. They inhibit protein synthesis, damage macrophage systems, inhibit particle clearance of the lung, and increase sensitivity to bacterial endotoxin.

Are aflatoxins mycotoxins?

Aflatoxins are amongst the most poisonous mycotoxins and are produced by certain moulds (Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus) which grow in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains. Ochratoxin A is produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium and is a common food-contaminating mycotoxin.

What grains have mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins in the Grain Market

Can beans have aflatoxin?

Aflatoxin is commonly found in poorly stored food crops such as cassava, chilli peppers, millet, rice, sorghum, sunflower seeds, beans, cocoa beans, soya beans, coffee beans, wheat and hay. Once infected, the plant resistance weakens and the production of aflatoxin is favoured.

Does rice have aflatoxin?

Rice can be contaminated by aflatoxins producing fungi when the climatic conditions become favorable for their growth in the field, during harvest, handling and storage [7,8]. The occurrence of aflatoxins in rice has been reported in several studies with a high prevalence in Asian countries [8,9].

Do all nuts have aflatoxins?

According to the report, aflatoxins were found in high concentrations in peanuts, pistachios, dried figs and hazelnuts. However, aflatoxin concentrations have also been reported in nutmeg, chilli, almonds, pecan nuts, sesame, dried fruits and rice….Food & Feed Analysis.

What are mycotoxins examples?

The term ‘mycotoxin’ is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products produced by fungi that readily colonize crops. Examples of mycotoxins causing human and animal illness include aflatoxin, citrinin, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, patulin, trichothecenes, zearalenone, and ergot alkaloids such as ergotamine.