EVALUATION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION AND QUALITY OF NUTS IN EGYPTIAN MARKETS AND AFTER COLD STORAGE | ||||
| Menoufia Journal of Plant Production | ||||
| Article 8, Volume 2, Issue 2, March and April 2017, Page 169-176 PDF (380.73 K) | ||||
| Document Type: original papers | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/mjppf.2017.176034 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
| Hoda A. Galal | ||||
| Environmental Studies and Research Institute (ESRI), Univ. of Sadat City (USC), Menofeia, Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites produced by toxigenic fungi in the field or during storage. A total of 72 in-shell and shell-less samples of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts were collected from small retails and hyper-Egyptian markets from middle June to middle July of 2015. This is the period of the holy month of Ramadan in Islamic calendar; the main season for consuming nuts in Egypt. Fruit quality and aflatoxins contamination including AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and total AFs were measured after collecting samples from market, and after six months of cold storage, at 7°C and 70 % relative humidity, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All nut samples collected from small retails and hyper-markets were free from AFs. After six months of cold storage, only one sample of shell-less almonds recorded 1.6 µg AFG2/kg kernels. Nut quality had deteriorated after storage, especially for shell-less walnuts and shell-less hazelnuts, compared to other nuts. We concluded that storage of in-shell nuts is preferred than the shell-less ones to keep good taste, avoid insect and fungal infection, and to protect nuts from AFs contamination. Strict quarantine of nuts and other imported food products is important to ensure food safety and AFs free. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Aflatoxin; nuts; cold storage; HPLC | ||||
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