Aflatoxin in Peanuts

[Guest guest]

I've been doing some research and here's a little of what I've

found. It seems that peanuts are inspected, but damp storage

conditions, rodents, etc can lead to Aspergillis growth AFTER

inspection.

Aflatoxins are considered unavoidable contaminants of food and feed,

even where good manufacturing practices have been followed. The FDA

has established specific guidelines on acceptable levels of

aflatoxins in human food and animal feed by establishing action

levels that allow for the removal of violative lots from commerce.

The action level for human food is 20 ppb total aflatoxins, with the

exception of milk which has an action level of 0.5 ppb for aflatoxin

M1. The action level for most feeds is also 20 ppb. However, it is

very difficult to accurately estimate aflatoxins concentration in a

large quantity of material because of the variability associated with

testing procedures; hence, the true aflatoxin concentration in a lot

cannot be determined with 100% certainty.

Most of the sites say the risk is negligible, but here's an excerpt

by one site that says we just don't know about long term exposure to

small amounts of this toxin:

Humans are exposed to aflatoxins by consuming foods contaminated with

products of fungal growth . Such exposure is difficult to avoid

because fungal growth in foods is not easy to prevent . Even though

heavily contaminated food supplies are not permitted in the market

place in developed countries, concern still remains for the possible

adverse effects resulting from long-term exposure to low levels of

aflatoxins in the food supply .

Evidence of acute aflatoxicosis in humans has been reported from many

parts of the world , namely the Third World Countries, like Taiwan,

Ouganda, India, and many others . The syndrome is characterized by

vomiting, abdominal pain, pulmonary edema, convulsions, coma, and

death with cerebral edema and fatty involvment of the liver ,

kidneys , and heart.

Conditions increasing the likelihood of acute aflatoxicosis in humans

include limited availability of food, environmental conditions that

favor fungal development in crops and commodities, and lack of

regulatory systems for aflatoxin monitoring and control.

Because aflatoxins, especially aflatoxin B1, are potent carcinogens

in some animals, there is interest in the effects of long-term

exposure to low levels of these important mycotoxins on humans . In

1988, the IARC placed aflatoxin B1 on the list of human carcinogens.

This is supported by a number of epidemiological studies done in Asia

and Africa that have demonstrated a positive association between

dietary aflatoxins and Liver Cell Cancer (LCC) . Additionally , the

expression of aflatoxin-related diseases in humans may be influenced

by factors such as age, sex, nutritional status, and/or concurrent

exposure to other causative agents such as viral hepatitis (HBV) or

parasite infestation.

Considering the guidelines come from the FDA, I'm going to choose to

continue avoiding peanuts because I tend to react badly to even

minute amounts of things other people don't have a problem with.

Hope this helps a little. Sorry it's so long.

Patty