Aflatoxin Carryover during Large Scale Peanut
Authors/Creators
- 1. National University of Science and Technology
- 2. 2Special Analysis Laboratory, Chemistry and Soils Research Institute
Description
Peanut butter was monitored for aflatoxin contamination at different stages during its large-scale production starting
from raw shelled peanuts up to the final product. Twenty five samples, weighing 2 kg each, were taken from each of the
following stages: roasting at 160°C, blanching/de-skinning and grinding. The sub-samples were ground, thoroughly
mixed and further reduced by the quartering technique until a 1 kg sub-sample was obtained. This was then analyzed
for aflatoxins using reverse phase HPLC incorporating pre-column trifluoroacetic acid derivatization. The results
showed a total aflatoxin percentage reduction of 51% after roasting, 27% after blanching/de-skinning followed by a
further 11% after grinding to make peanut butter. This meant that there was a cumulative total reduction of 89% of
aflatoxin concentration during the production process of peanut butter. These results show that there is a significant
reduction of aflatoxin levels at the roasting and blanching stages in the process of producing peanut butter.