The Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Peanuts in Supermarkets in Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

A human’s exposure to aflatoxins occurs quite easily due to the fact that all one has to do is consume food containing this chemical. Due to the adverse effects of aflatoxins such as immune deficiency and carcinogenicity on humans, the analyzing of them in food items is necessary for assuring the health of consumers. This research was necessary because there is a lack of supply of data for aflatoxins in Ahvaz, Iran. For this purpose the peanut samples were purchased from some of existing supermarkets in Ahvaz and analyzed for the determination of aflatoxins concentration in peanuts by a TLC scanner. In total, 59.26% of samples were contaminated with aflatoxins, 14.8% of samples were found to contain above of 20 ppb, above the maximum level of total aflatoxins permitted in Iran.