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. 2014 Jan;7(1):e8674.
doi: 10.5812/jjm.8674. Epub 2014 Jan 1.

Aflatoxin in raw and salt-roasted nuts (pistachios, peanuts and walnuts) sold in markets of tabriz, iran

Alireza Ostadrahimi  1 , Fereshteh Ashrafnejad  2 , Abdolhassan Kazemi  2 , Nafiseh Sargheini  3 , Reza Mahdavi  2 , Mohammadreza Farshchian  4 , Sepideh Mahluji  3
Affiliations

Aflatoxin in raw and salt-roasted nuts (pistachios, peanuts and walnuts) sold in markets of tabriz, iran

Alireza Ostadrahimi et al. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Nuts are one of the main consumed snacks worldwide and also have an important role among Iranian's food habits. Natural contamination of nuts with aflatoxin is unavoidable and causes a special challenge for nuts safety and quality.

Objectives: The purpose of this research was to study the aflatoxin contamination in commercially-available nuts (pistachio, walnut and peanut) in the markets of Tabriz, Iran.

Materials and methods: Sixty two samples of 50 g salt-roasted peanuts and pistachios and 109 samples of 50 g pure pistachios, walnuts and peanuts were collected from different areas of local markets. After the initial preparations, ELISA test was performed for Aflatoxin measurement.

Results: Result showed that walnut (90%) and pure pistachio (2.3%) were the most and least contaminated samples, respectively. Mean aflatoxin contamination in the salt-roasted samples (19.88 ± 19.41 µg/kg) was significantly higher than the pure ones (6.51 ± 9.4 µg/kg) (P < 0.001). Respectively, 58.6%, 48.4% and 47.6% of salt-roasted pistachios, salt-roasted peanuts and walnut samples had aflatoxin contamination, which were more than the maximum tolerated level of Iran (MTL, 15 ppb).

Conclusions: It was concluded that aflatoxin content of nuts should be monitored regularly to minimize the risk of aflatoxin hazard and ensure the food safety and quality.

Keywords: Aflatoxin; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Nuts.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Comparison of Mean AF Levels (µg/kg) of Nuts With MTL of Iran (15 ppb)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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