Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Pistachio Nuts in Esfahan Province of Iran

Abstract

Aflatoxins (AFs) are highly toxic and carcinogenic secondary fungal metabolites and have been detected in various food commodities including pistachio nuts. One hundred samples of pistachio nuts, purchased from retail shops and local markets in Esfahan province of Iran from September to November 2007, were analyzed for AFs content by immunoaffinity column (IAC) cleanup with liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. Results showed that the frequency of total AFs (AFT), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1 and aflatoxin G2 in pistachio samples were 95, 95, 42, 64 and 28%, respectively. Thirty‐six and 29% of pistachio nuts exceeded the maximum tolerable limit (5 and 15 µg/kg) set for AFB1 and AFT by European Union regulations, respectively. The present paper is the first report on the natural occurrence of AFs in available pistachio nuts from retail shops in Esfahan province of Iran. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The goal of the Health and Hygienic Ministry of Iran is to increase public health and so they schedule programs such as Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point to achieve this goal. Pistachio nut is one of the popular commodities that are consumed in high amounts during special periods (Norows holiday), and so, the exposure of this product increased. In this work, we determined the amount of aflatoxin contamination in Esfahan pistachio nuts samples that were gathered from retail shops and local markets by high‐performance liquid chromatography method. This work showed that keeping nuts under uncontrolled condition will lead to contamination. Our work showed the necessity of full consideration and permanent supervision of local markets. It is useful as a set‐up method for the determination of aflatoxin contamination in nuts and it can be used for other nuts and dried fruits sample.

Occurrence of Aspergillus spp. and Aflatoxin B1 in Malaysian Foods Used for Human Consumption

“…According to Cheraghali and others (2007), 11.8% and 7.5% of 10068 Iran pistachio nut samples were above the maximum tolerated level (MTL) of AFB1 and total aflatoxins, respectively. In another study from Iran, Pour and others (2010) reported 36% and 29% of pistachio nuts had exceeded maximum tolerable limit (5 and 15 μg/kg) set for AFB1 and total aflatoxins by European Union.…”

COMPOSITION AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF THE BRAZILIAN MYRISTICA FRAGRANS HOUTT ESSENTIAL OIL

“…Fungal deterioration of stored products is a chronic problem worldwide, aggravated in warm and humid regions, ideal for aspergilli and aflatoxin production (Pour et al 2010). Toxic synthetic compounds are presently used to manage these fungi.…”

Nature of aflatoxins: Their extraction, analysis, and control

“…The fungal growth can be minimized by adopting the effective drying tools and proper storage operations for crops (Rachaputi, Krosch, & Wright, 2002). The uncontrolled storage conditions have lead to aflatoxin contamination in pistachio nuts (Pour et al, 2010). The AFs levels in dry fruits and nuts are lowered which have been stored in shells as compared to those stored without shells (Iqbal et al, 2018).…”

“…They are produced in animal feeds and various food commodities (e.g., peanuts, maize grains, cereals, etc.) by the fungal strains (mainly by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus ; rarely by Euderces venezuelensis, Emericella astellata, Aspergillus tamarii, Aspergillus pseudotamari, Aspergillus ochraceoroseus and Aspergillus bombycis ) (Bennett, Kale, & Yu, ; Pour, Rasti, Zighamian, & Garmakhani, ). They were first known in 1960s in United Kingdom, where more than 100 thousand Turkey poultry birds suffered from death by ground nut meal infected with A. flavus (Kumar, ).…”