AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightThe overall competent authority for carrying out a monitoring for aflatoxin levels in foodstuffs lies within the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock in order to estimate the actual dietary exposure of aflatoxin contaminants in the foodstuffs (eg. peanuts) concerned
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) are one of the most important oilseed crops and snack foods in the world Agro-food trade market. The major producers/exporters of peanuts are the United States, China, Argentina, Sudan, Senegal, and Brazil. Peanuts are a perishable commodity, easily spoiled by fungi. Aflatoxins are a group of natural compounds mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. They have been found to be carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic to humans and animals. Aflatoxin contamination of peanuts is one of the most important factors determining the quality of peanuts and has caused significant financial losses for producing and exporting countries. Therefore, monitoring of aflatoxins in peanuts and peanut-contained products is very important for protecting consumers. Various methods have been tried to decontaminate aflatoxin contaminated commodities (e.g. peanuts). These include physical methods (sorting, irradiation techniques, heating), chemical methods (acids, bases, oxidising agents), biological methods (microbiological). All EU member states have set tolerance limits for certain mycotoxin food combinations but at present no country has covered all important mycotoxins and all relevant commodities. The data varies greatly from country to country. The overall competent authority for carrying out a monitoring for aflatoxin levels in foodstuffs lies within the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock in order to estimate the actual dietary exposure of aflatoxin contaminants in the foodstuffs (eg. peanuts) concerned