Identification and HPLC Quantification of Aflatoxins in Dried Chili Peppers (Capsicum annum L.) in Mexico and Other Countries

Conrado Rosas-Contreras,Magda Carvajal-Moreno

doi:10.4172/2157-7609.1000198

Conrado Rosas-Contreras, Magda Carvajal-Moreno

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7609.1000198

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Abstract

In this study, we aimed to identify and quantify aflatoxins (AFs) (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) by liquid chromatography and to validate the methodology in 3 types of chili peppers, “Ancho”, “Guajillo” and “Piquin” which are the most frequently consumed chili peppers in the 16 boroughs of Mexico City. As a separate aim, we analyzed the AFs in some chili pepper samples from India, Turkey and South Africa to determine whether the amount of AF contamination in chili peppers represents a health risk. Sixty-four compound samples of the three types of chili peppers in 48 markets of Mexico City and nine foreign samples from India, Turkey and South Africa were analyzed. The validation of the method for analyzing AFs included selectivity, lineality, recovery percentage and limits of detection and quantification. The average AF concentrations (μg kg-1) for “Ancho” chili pepper were AFB1 (1.46), AFB2 (0.15), AFG1 (1.28), AFG2 (2.08) and total aflatoxins (AFt) (3.49), which exhibited the highest contamination. The average AF concentrations (μg kg-1) for “Guajillo” hot pepper were AFB1 (0.53), AFB2 (0.08), AFG1 (0.40), AFG2 (0.85), and AFt (0.92). The average AF concentrations (μg kg-1) for “Piquin” chili pepper were AFB1 (1.44), AFB2 (0.10) AFG1 (1.57), AFG2 (1.09) and AFt (3.14). The 8 samples from foreign countries had average AF concentrations (μg kg-1) of AFB1 (0.7), AFB2 (0.2), AFG1 (0.7), AFG2 (1.1), and AFt (1.8 μg kg-1). Most of the chili peppers exhibited a significant difference in relation to their origin in Mexico City, with the exception of AFG2 in “Guajillo” chili pepper. The Mexican chili peppers had more complete sampling for the AFs than the few samples analyzed from Turkey, India and South Africa, which did not represent the whole country.

Highlights

The Mexican chili pepper was called chilli in Náhuatl, the AztecMexican language, and was taken to European herbaries in the sixteenth century and named genus Capsicum from the Solanaceae family
The name is related to the pepper; it is chili pepper in English, pimient enragé or poivre rouge in French, pepperone in Italian, and pimentao in Portuguese [1,2]
The chili pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is a staple food in Mesoamerican cultures and is called cococ, cocopatic and cocopalatic to differentiate the varieties according to their degree of pungency [1,2]

Summary

Introduction

The Mexican chili pepper was called chilli in Náhuatl, the Aztec. Was taken to European herbaries in the sixteenth century and named genus Capsicum from the Solanaceae family. The name is related to the pepper; it is chili pepper in English, pimient enragé or poivre rouge in French, pepperone in Italian, and pimentao in Portuguese [1,2]. The chili pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is a staple food in Mesoamerican cultures and is called cococ, cocopatic and cocopalatic to differentiate the varieties according to their degree of pungency [1,2]. The production characteristics of chili pepper have been described [3,4]. There are five commercial varieties produced: Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens, C. baccatum, C. pubescens and C. chivense [5,6]

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