Aflatoxin: A Synthesis of the Research in Health, Agriculture and Trade

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“Even low levels of
aflatoxin may have
long-term effects on
livestock, poultry, and
animal products.”
AGRicUltURe
Summary
Aflatoxin contamination poses a serious risk to the farming industry with moderate
to high levels of aflatoxin causing morbidity and mortality for both humans
and livestock. ongoing low levels of aflatoxin may cause long-term effects in
livestock, poultry, and animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy products.
While the aflatoxin monitoring infrastructure in place in developed countries
would be difficult to readily implement in the developing world, there are some
relatively less expensive interventions that can be implemented pre- and postharvest.
Methods of pre-harvest handling to avoid aflatoxin contamination preharvest
include the use of biocontrols, crop rotation, competitive displacement,
and the use of different strains of maize and other crops. Use of interventions
to reduce exposure to environmental stress can reduce aflatoxin contamination.
Best practices for post-harvest handling include proper drying and processing,
in addition to temperate, dry, pest-free storage.
Strategies to eliminate or limit the spread of aflatoxin contamination once crops
have been harvested include food processing, storage strategies such as drying
and improving conditions, and measures that are suitable and appropriately
tailored for specific agro-ecological zones. implementing a package or set of
procedures to prevent aflatoxin contamination of crops is more effective than
traditional post-harvest procedures and has reduced post-harvest exposure in
the food chain by more than half.
Studies have shown that foods contaminated by aflatoxins can be detoxified
through the use of inorganic salts and organic acids, ammoniation, and use
of aflatoxin B 1 binding agents. innovative research is currently ongoing on
methods to detoxify contaminated crops using natural acids, salts and plant
extracts. Ammoniation of crops also boosts deliverable protein in animal feed.
Alternate uses of aflatoxin-contaminated crops include animal feed (if levels are
sufficiently low), and ethanol production for biofuels. the pros and cons of these
alternatives have been reviewed below.
intRoDUction
Aflatoxin contamination poses a serious risk to the farming industry; moderate
to high levels of aflatoxin can cause illness in humans and livestock. even
low levels of aflatoxin may have long-term effects on livestock, poultry, and
animal products. Several methods of pre-harvest handling and best practices
for post-harvest handling can reduce contamination. currently, researchers
are examining the effects of natural acids, salts, and plant extracts to detoxify
contaminated crops. A more common method is ammoniation, or treating
contaminated crops with ammonia vapor, which eliminates the aflatoxinproducing
fungus, A. flavus.
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