What Are Aflatoxins?

• Author: GREAT MASTER VIKRANT ROHIN
• Date: MAY 3, 2023

A family of toxins known as aflatoxins is created by specific fungi that can be found in crops like maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are common in warm, humid climates around the world, are the primary fungi that create aflatoxins. Fungi that produce aflatoxin can infect crops in the field, during harvest, and while they are being stored.

PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO AFLATOXINS IN WHAT WAYS?

• Consuming contaminated plant products (like peanuts) or meat or dairy from animals that ate contaminated feed can expose a person to aflatoxins. The handling and processing of contaminated crops and feeds can generate dust that exposes farmers and other agricultural employees.

WHICH MALIGNANCIES ARE LINKED TO AFLATOXINS EXPOSURE?

• Aflatoxin exposure is linked to a higher incidence of liver cancer.

HOW CAN EXPOSURE TO AFLATOXIN BE MINIMISED?

• By only purchasing nuts and nut butter from well-known commercial brands and throwing away any nuts that are mouldy, discoloured, or shrivelled, you can lessen your exposure to aflatoxin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) examines foods that might contain aflatoxins, like peanuts and peanut butter, to help reduce risk. Aflatoxin-related sickness epidemics have been documented in certain underdeveloped nations, but none have been documented to date in the United States.

Selected References

• Food and Drug Administration. Bad Bug Book, Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins, Second Edition. Laurel, MD: Food and Drug Administration, 2012. Also available online. Last accessed December 28, 2018.

Author: Master Vikrant Rohin is an international author, and more than four countries’ schools are using his books in the core curriculum of education. He is the author of twenty different subject books. History, Economics, Chemistry, Physics, English, Biology, Geography etc. Most of his students hold high-ranking positions in the public and private sectors. He has cracked the world’s toughest exam, the "Civil Services Examination (UPSC)," eight times. Always a topper in academics, he was also a top-class sportsman, a state boxer, and a basketball player.