ARS | Publication request: The dangers of aflatoxin chemical hazards on corn and peanuts

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 8, 2007
Publication Date: September 8, 2007
Citation: Guo, B. 2007. The dangers of aflatoxin chemical hazards on corn and peanuts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Train-the-Trainer Program on Agricultural Practices, September 10-14, 2007, Managua, Nicaragua. p. 5-6.

Technical Abstract: Aflatoxins, toxic metabolites of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus fungi, are naturally occurring contaminants of food for human and feed for animals. Although aflatoxins have been a problem throughout history, they have been recognized as significant contaminants within agriculture only since the 1960s. The establishment of regulatory limits on traded foods, the enforcement of these limits through food monitoring, and the implementation of optimal drying and storage practices have mostly eliminated harmful exposures in developed countries. The application of these strategies in developing countries is difficult because of differences in food production, such as the prominence of subsistence farming in developing countries. Difficulties in Nicaragua are also present as a result of animal contamination and aflatoxins showing up in dairy products. This presentation will review and summarize the findings and management strategies in prevention of aflatoxin contamination before harvest, during harvest, and postharvest, and raise the awareness of aflatoxin exposure and the resulting health effects.