Effect of Gamma Radiation on the Reduction of Aflatoxin in Red Pepper

Abstract

Nowadays, the reduction of aflatoxin in food commodities using radiation treatment is getting attention. Mycotoxin contaminations in agricultural commodities have significant economic implications. Aflatoxin is a very serious food insecurity issue in developing countries because of climatic conditions, agricultural practices, and storage conditions, which are conducive to fungal proliferation and toxin production. In this study, High-performance liquid chromatography was used for the separation and determination of aflatoxins. The samples were randomly collected from different markets, placed into sealed plastic bags, and prepared for testing and investigation. The samples were exposed to a dose of 2, 4, and 6 kGy of radiation. The samples were irradiated using a Co-60 Gamma-cell research irradiator (GC-220) at a dose rate of 1.5 kGy/h. After irradiation, a promising result has been found that almost 100% reduction of pathogens in each case at each dose, and a 10.96%, 34.25%, and 34.65% aflatoxin reduction in 2, 4, and 6 kGy respectively. From this study, it is clearly shown that irradiation technology is one solution for the food insecurity seen across the globe, and should be recommended for use to stakeholders, policymakers, food storage facility providers, food packaging companies, food preservation facilities providers, warehouse providers, and food item exporters.