TWO methods for assessing the aflatoxin levels in groundnuts and groundnut materials have been published. 1$2 Both the paper-chromatographic method of Coomes and Sanders, and the thin-layer chromatographic plate technique of Broadbent, Cornelius and Shone2 dealt with the detection and subjective estimation of aflatoxin B, and both methods were based on the smallest weight of that compound giving an observable fluorescence in ultraviolet light ( A = 365 m p) .Since more powerful chromatographic techniques have been used, it has now been shown3 that the material originally called aflatoxin B actually consisted of two substances, aflatoxin B,, the major component, whose structure is now known,4 contaminated with aflatoxin B,, the corresponding dihydro deriGati~e,~ 96 and other impurities.The two methods1p2 have now been re-examined in the light of our present knowledge, par-
A metabolite of the fungi Macrophomina Phaseoli has been found to have similar thin-layer characteristics on Kieselgel G Merck to that of aflatoxin B. A simple method is described for differentiating the Macrophomina metabolite from that of the Aspergillus Javus metabolite aflatoxin B.
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