What is aflatoxin

Aflatoxin mostly grows in peanuts and melon seeds. The reason for the growth of aflatoxin is that melon seeds or peanuts are infected by bacteria and become spoiled. Aflatoxin is a bacteria and it is a carcinogen. Therefore, if people eat a certain amount of aflatoxin, it may cause cancer. Let me introduce to you what aflatoxin is.

Aflatoxins (AFTs) are a class of compounds with similar chemical structures, all of which are derivatives of dihydrofuranocoumarins. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and parasitic Aspergillus (A. parasiticus). The probability of aflatoxins appearing in food and feed is highest in humid and hot areas.

They exist in soil, animals, plants, and various nuts, and are especially likely to contaminate grain and oil products such as peanuts, corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat. They are the most toxic type of mycotoxins and pose a particularly prominent threat to human health.

On October 27, 2017, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer published a preliminary list of carcinogens for reference, and aflatoxin was on the list of Class 1 carcinogens.

Material characteristics

Physical and chemical properties

Aflatoxin B1 and B2 fluoresce blue under ultraviolet light. Aflatoxin G1 and G2

Aflatoxin G2

Aflatoxin G2

Green fluorescence. The relative molecular weight of aflatoxin is 312-346. It is insoluble in water but soluble in oil, methanol, acetone, chloroform and other organic solvents, but insoluble in petroleum ether, hexane and ether. It is generally stable in neutral solution, but slightly decomposes in strong acid solution and decomposes rapidly in strong alkaline solution of pH 9-10. Its pure product is colorless crystals, which are resistant to high temperatures. The decomposition temperature of aflatoxin B1 is 268℃. Ultraviolet rays are destructive to low concentrations of aflatoxin.

Extremely toxic

Harm to health: After aflatoxin enters the body, it is mainly metabolized under the action of the mixed function oxidase system of the endoplasmic reticulum microsomes of liver cells. Aflatoxin is not carcinogenic if it has not undergone metabolic activation, so aflatoxin is called a pro-carcinogen.

It is far more toxic than cyanide, arsenide and organic pesticides, among which B1 is the most toxic. When people ingest large amounts, acute poisoning may occur, leading to acute hepatitis, hemorrhagic necrosis, fatty degeneration of hepatocytes and bile duct hyperplasia. When ingested in trace amounts continuously, it can cause chronic poisoning, growth disorders, fibrotic lesions, and lead to proliferation of fibrous tissue. AFT also ranks first in carcinogenicity and is one of the strongest carcinogens known to date.

Quick identification

Aflatoxin tastes very bitter. If you taste the bitterness when eating foods such as peanuts and walnuts, spit them out immediately and rinse your mouth. Moldy peanuts, walnuts, etc. are prone to produce aflatoxin.

Precautions

Anti-mold: Mold growth and reproduction requires a certain temperature, humidity, oxygen and moisture content. If one of these factors can be controlled, the purpose of anti-mold can be achieved; detoxification of aflatoxin; grain and oil foods whose content exceeds national standards must be detoxified. Currently commonly used detoxification methods include physical removal, chemical removal and biological removal: a physical removal b chemical removal c biological detoxification method.