including corn, rice, wheat, peanuts, black pepper and even wine.
Aflatoxins are colorless, tasteless and odorless. It is stable at high temperature and cannot be destroyed by normal cooking. And it is a common food poison. It is present not only in peanuts, but also corn, figs and cereals. Aflatoxin has been found worldwide as a contaminant of many foods for people and livestock,
including corn, rice, wheat, peanuts, black pepper and even wine.
It has long been considered one of the most serious carcinogens contaminating the food supply in developing countries, where high temperatures and high humidity among stored crops encourage growth of the fungus.
Even in developed countries, it has been found to contaminate food products.
• IN CANADA, a test of various food samples – rice, soy, barley-based and mixed-grain infant cereals, corn, wheat, rice-based and mixed-grain breakfast cereals – in 2002-2005 found 4% of the breakfast cereals and 1% of the infant cereals had aflatoxin B1 in levels exceeding the European Union maximum limit for aflatoxin B1 in baby foods and processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children.
• IN KOREA, a 2004 study found aflatoxins in 6% of uncooked rice collected from markets in Seoul.
• IN BRITAIN, the Food Standards Agency called for a ban on pistachio nuts imported from Iran in 2002 following a survey which found high levels of cancer-causing mycotoxins in 10% of pistachio samples.
• IN THE US, aflatoxins have constantly been identified in corn and corn products, cottonseed, milk, and tree nuts such as Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachio nuts, and walnuts. In 1989, the Food and Drugs Administration’s tests of grain found about 6% (95 samples) of corn tested to have levels above the 20 parts per billion allowed. Its tests of 263 samples of corn flour and corn meal found about 2% (or 6 samples) to have more than 20 parts of aflatoxin per billion.
• IN NEPAL, a 2005 study found 1/3 of a total of 832 samples of food tested to be contaminated with aflatoxins. The highest percentage of contamination was found in peanut butter/vegetable oil (42.5%) and the lowest in areca nut (25%). Cornflakes tested were found to be contaminated with aflatoxin by more than 30 ppb.
Source: Utusan Konsumer, Mar-Apr 2007.
