HWN Suggests

Aflatoxins: A Risk to Our Health

Aflatoxins are fungal metabolites found in different foods. It all began (at least the in-depth study) in 1961 when 100,000 turkey deaths were detected on farms in Great Britain. The cause was peanut flour, contaminated with aspergillus flavus, imported from Brazil.

In humans, several episodes of acute mass poisoning have been recorded in different parts of India, Southeast Asia. and tropical and equatorial Africa. Another important point to note is that a higher rate of liver cancer has also been observed in these areas. Fungi of the genus aspergillus may contaminate many foods such as peanuts, maize, cottonseed, nuts, rice, figs, dried fruits, spices, cocoa beans, raw vegetable…

read full article

Featured

 Aflatoxin, a Silent Threat to Africa’s Food Supply

“Aflatoxins are one of agriculture’s best kept secrets,” says Cardwell. Controlling them is difficult, since it’s not well known why the fungus produces them in the first place. They’re one of the most studied mycotoxins (toxic substance produced by fungi) in the world, but so many questions about them remain unanswered.

 Aflatoxins: a foe to farmers and peanut lovers

In developing nations, however, many people are exposed to aflatoxin through food grown at home. Inadequate harvesting and storage techniques allow for the growth of aflatoxin-producing fungus. Many developing nations do not have defined limits for aflatoxin presence and homegrown crops are not routinely tested. An estimated 4.5 billion people living in developing countries may be chronically exposed to aflatoxin through their diet.

 From humble peanut to lifesaving legume

Packed with protein, fats and fiber, peanuts are nutritional powerhouses that have helped save the lives of malnourished children. But they can also harbor deadly aflatoxins, a byproduct of fungal infection which, when metabolized in the body, can cause liver cancer, disrupt immune function and induce protein deficiency syndromes. Most healthy people detoxify aflatoxins through their urine. But individuals who are malnourished or have Hepatitis B are especially susceptible to the adverse chronic effects of aflatoxins.

 On the trail of a deadly fungus

Aflatoxins are highly toxic compounds produced by certain fungal moulds which grow on cereals, nuts and oilseeds. Large parts of sub-Saharan Africa are affected by aflatoxin contamination, notably in maize, a staple of the African diet that is particularly susceptible to the fungus.

 Spoilt rotten: good and bad mould

Some fungal growths add flavour to food while others are toxic. So how do you spot the right kind of rot? How dangerous can moulds be? "Seriously dangerous," she says. "The genus Aspergillus, which grows on peanuts and peanut products, produces a group of toxins called aflatoxins. They can cause liver cancer – and cooking won't destroy them."

Articles of Interest

Aflatoxin in Kenya: Finding Our Way Through the Maize

In developing nations, many people are exposed to aflatoxin through food grown at home. Inadequate harvesting and storage techniques allow for the growth of aflatoxin-producing fungus, and homegrown crops are not routinely tested for the presence of aflatoxin. As a result, an estimated 4.5 billion people living in developing countries may be chronically exposed to aflatoxin through their diet.

Aflatoxin Poisoning: Why It’s So Dangerous, and How to Keep Your Dog Safe

Aflatoxin poisoning is a major concern in pet food, especially foods heavy in cheap, plant-based ingredients like corn, rice, and wheat. Here’s what you need to know about aflatoxin, how it gets into your dog’s food, and what you can do to protect him.

Aflatoxin: An Invisible Threat to Food Security in Rural Communities

According to the World Health Organization, aflatoxin destroys an estimated 25 percent or more of the world’s crops each year. While the molds that produce the toxin are found throughout the globe, the systems to prevent contamination vary greatly. In the United States, farming techniques and storage protocols have, for the most part, eliminated the impacts of aflatoxin. The USDA has set standards on acceptable levels in grains. European Union nations have similar limits. Testing occurs regularly from harvest to consumption, significantly decreasing the risk of exposure to the consumer. However, the resources to take these precautions are not as readily available in many low- and middle-income countries. There is limited infrastructure to adequately test crops and a lack of safe storage capacities to reduce the growth of the molds.

Aflatoxins in Corn

Aflatoxins pose a low-level threat to U.S. food safety because regulations and testing by federal agencies and industry exclude contaminated products from the food supply. Generally, these programs have been successful in protecting U.S. consumers from aflatoxin-contaminated food.

Aflatoxins: A Global Concern for Food Safety, Human Health and Their Management

The aflatoxin producing fungi, Aspergillus spp., are widely spread in nature and have severely contaminated food supplies of humans and animals, resulting in health hazards and even death. Therefore, there is great demand for aflatoxins research to develop suitable methods for their quantification, precise detection and control to ensure the safety of consumers’ health.

Aflatoxins: History, Significant Milestones, Recent Data on Their Toxicity and Ways to Mitigation

In the early 1960s the discovery of aflatoxins began when a total of 100,000 turkey poults died by hitherto unknown turkey “X” disease in England. The disease was associated with Brazilian groundnut meal affected by Aspergillus flavus. The toxin was named Aspergillus flavus toxin—aflatoxin. From the point of view of agriculture, aflatoxins show the utmost importance.

Aflatoxins: Producing-Molds, Structure, Health Issues and Incidence in Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African Countries

Although aflatoxins are of a global concern, their negative impact on health, economy, and social life is greater in developing countries located in the tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Aflatoxins: The Need for Early Detection

Aflatoxins are toxic metabolites produced by a variety of molds commonly known as mycotoxin. These mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by several species of molds (commonly known as fungi) of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium.

Africa Improved Foods — The Fight Against Aflatoxin

A major threat to farmers’ crops – and both the agricultural economy and nutritional safety of the nation – are aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are poisonous substances produced by certain kinds of fungi that are found naturally all over the world; they can contaminate food crops and pose a serious health threat to humans and livestock.

Breaking the Mold: New Strategies for Fighting Aflatoxins

It’s unclear why A. flavus and A. parasiticus produce aflatoxins. Scientists have a number of hypotheses. Aflatoxins may trap the free radicals that plants generate to protect themselves from the fungi. Or the fungi may produce aflatoxins to protect themselves from insects.

Estimating the health burden of aflatoxin attributable stunting among children in low income countries of Africa

The underlying mechanism for aflatoxin induced growth impairment so far discovered are related to its immune modulation, reduced insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and aflatoxin-induced enteropathy.

Food, Mold and Mycotoxins: Are Mycotoxin in Food?

Aflatoxin(AFs) is the most commonly found mycotoxin in food.

Fungal mating: Next weapon against corn aflatoxin?

It’s not fun when a fungus contaminates crops. Safe native fungi, however, show promise in the fight against toxic fungal contamination.

Mold, Toxins, and Pesticides: Coffee's Dirty Secret

If you thought Ochratoxin and Acrylamide were bad, meet Aflatoxin B1. This toxin is known as the most potent natural carcinogen and is classified as a mycotoxin. It primarily occurs during the pre-harvesting stage of coffee bean farming, but also can form in the storing and processing stages.

Mycotoxin Minute - What Makes Aflatoxin B1 So Dangerous?

Aflatoxin B1 is one of the most harmful #mycotoxins out there. What makes it that way?

The Danger of Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are contaminants of foods intended for people or animals as a result of fungal contamination. The most common foods implicated are cereals like corn, wheat and rice, oilseeds like peanuts and sunflower, and spices. However, the toxin can affect a very wide range of food stuffs...

The Economic Impact of Aflatoxin Contamination

Aflatoxins are carcinogens that are a major problem for agriculture and health worldwide, particularly in developing countries. The naturally occurring toxins are produced by fungi that are present in soils; the fungi thrive in the hot, humid conditions that are typical of most countries in Africa. Aflatoxins contaminate staple crops, such as maize, sorghum, millet, rice, oilseeds, spices, groundnuts, tree nuts, and cassava.

What must be done to get toxin out of Kenya’s food supply

Aflatoxins are toxic chemicals produced by a fungus, Aspergillus flavus. The fungus occurs naturally in soils, but under hot, dry conditions, it can grow and spread to a variety of crops. Maize and groundnut are two crops that are especially susceptible to contamination with aflatoxins. It’s not a uniquely Kenyan challenge. Aflatoxin contamination occurs in almost all countries.

Resources

AflaCheck

Aflatoxin levels in grain, food and feed are subject to strict regulations in more than 60 countries. AflaCheck is a qualitative one-step test kit for the detection of total aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) in a variety of samples.

Aflatesa Project

The project addresses the maize and groundnut food safety problems along the production chains through factors and sources of aflatoxin contamination and their impacts on the quality of products and to evaluate mitigation approaches in Ethiopia, Uganda and Zambia.

National Cancer Institute

Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The main fungi that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing fungi can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and during storage.

StatPearls

Dietary exposure to aflatoxins may result in severe toxic and carcinogenic outcomes in humans and animals. Aflatoxin toxicity may result in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, convulsions, and other signs of acute liver injury. Long-term exposure also leads to various complications like growth retardation, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.