Quantitation of Aflatoxins in Food Materials Using HPLC-FLD Method

Fevzi Kilicel

doi:10.11648/j.sjac.20170506.11

Abstract

In this study, a sensitive high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) method after post-column derivatisation was applied for the presence of aflatoxins (AFs) in 45 samples (dried apricots, raisins, dried figs, nuts, peanuts, almonds, corn, redpepper, blackpepper, bread and moldy cheese). Samples were collected four seasons from several open market places in Karaman/Turkey and checked for AFs levels. At the same time bread samples were incubated for seven day outdoors. The purpose of this experiment is to determine the time required to reach the critical aflatoxin amounts in the bread that we consumed in our home. AFs were present in 75% of dried apricots (6/8), 100% of raisins (8/8), 100% of dried figs (8/8), 75% of nuts (6/8), 50% of peanuts (4/8), 50% of almonds (4/8), 100% of corn (8/8), 100% of blackpepper (8/8), 100% of redpepper (8/8), 78.5% of bread (11/14), 75% of moldy cheese (3/4) at total AF levels ranging. Eight redpepper samples were above the European maximum tolerable limit (MTL) of 8 µg kg<sup>-1</sup> for AFB1, while total AFs concentration exceeded the MTL of 10 µg kg<sup>-1</sup> in eight redpepper samples. The amount of aflatoxin in other samples is lower than the value of European MLT.

Highlights

Aflatoxins (AFs) consist of a group of approximately 20 related fungal metabolities, only aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), G2 (AFG2) are normally found in foods
Aflatoxins B2 and G2 are the hydro derivatives of the parent compounds. They are major class of mycotoxins produced by at least three species of Aspergillus, Aflatoxins flavus, Aflatoxins parasiticus and Aflatoxins nomiusand can occur in wide range of important raw food commodities, including cereals, nuts, spices, figs and dried fruit
Aflatoxinsflavus is more adapted to the aerial parts of plants and produces only B AFs, while Aflatoxins parasiticus produces both B and G AFs is well adapted to a soil environment [2]

Summary

Introduction

Aflatoxins (AFs) consist of a group of approximately 20 related fungal metabolities, only aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), G2 (AFG2) are normally found in foods. Aflatoxins B2 and G2 are the hydro derivatives of the parent compounds. They are major class of mycotoxins produced by at least three species of Aspergillus, Aflatoxins flavus, Aflatoxins parasiticus and Aflatoxins nomiusand can occur in wide range of important raw food commodities, including cereals, nuts, spices, figs and dried fruit. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) acknowledges that there is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of naturally occurring AFB1 and mixtures of AFs [4], with a role in the aetiology of liver cancer, notably among subjects who are carries of hepatitis B virus surface antigens [5]. AFs are most likely to contaminate maize and maize products, cottonseed, spices, figs and other dried fruits, groundnuts and tree nuts such as Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachio nuts and walnuts

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