Aflatoxins: Did You Know?

Aflatoxins have been identified as poisonous substances produced by certain kinds of fungi which contaminate food crops such as maize, peanuts, tree nuts, rice and cottonseed. Contamination could happen before and after harvesting. Improper storage of food crops under warm and humid storage environments that favour mould growth can typically lead to higher levels of contamination than those found in fields. Most human exposure of aflatoxins comes from nuts and grains. Aflatoxins could lead to aflatoxicosis than can be life threatening usually through liver damage when consumed in large quantities. The consumption of food contaminated with aflatoxin concentration of 1mg/kg or higher has been observed in human population since the 1960s. To avoid aflatoxins, consumers are advised to;

• Carefully inspect whole grains and nuts for evidence of mould, and do away with any that look mouldy.

• Buy grains and nuts as fresh as possible.

• Buy only reputable brands of nuts and nut butters; aflatoxin moulds are not entirely killed by processing or roasting, so can show up in products e.g. peanut butter.

• Make sure that foods are stored properly and are not kept for extended periods of time before being used.

• Try to ensure his/her diet is diverse; this not only helps to mitigate aflatoxin exposure, but also improves health and nutrition. Consumers who lack dietary diversity need to pay extra attention to minimize the risk of high exposure to aflatoxins. For example, extensive aflatoxin exposure has been reported from areas where people get a major part of their daily calorie intake from maize; this foodstuff is commonly contaminated with aflatoxins and needs to be handled properly both before and after harvest.

Source: WHO (2018). "Food Safety Digest". Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses.