Peanuts aflatoxin

Aflatoxins Peanut butter Filt., Evap. HPLC, FI. det. 40... 

Pea.nuts, The proteins of peanuts are low in lysine, threonine, cystine plus methionine, and tryptophan when compared to the amino acid requirements for children but meet the requirements for adults (see Table 3). Peanut flour can be used to increase the nutritive value of cereals such as cornmeal but further improvement is noted by the addition of lysine (71). The trypsin inhibitor content of raw peanuts is about one-fifth that of raw soybeans, but this concentration is sufficient to cause hypertrophy (enlargement) of the pancreas in rats. The inhibitors of peanuts are largely inactivated by moist heat treatment (48). As for cottonseed, peanuts are prone to contamination by aflatoxin. FDA regulations limit aflatoxin levels of peanuts and meals to 100 ppb for breeding beef catde, breeding swine, or poultry 200 ppb for finishing swine 300 ppb for finishing beef catde 20 ppb for immature animals and dairy animals and 20 ppb for humans. 

Aflatoxin Bj, from Aspergillus flavus growing on peanuts (Arachis hypogea)... 

Haberle, V., Balenovic, J., Briski, B., Aflatoxin content in imported peanuts, coffee, barley, wheat and walnuts (Yugoslavia), Hrana Ishrana, 19, 451, 1978. (CA90 185047v)... 

It is of interest to compare the shapes and sizes of various molecules with appreciable carcinogenic activity. For example, aflatoxin B] (VI), found in moldy peanuts and grain, is one of the most powerful carcinogens known. Its crystal structure was determined by van Soest and Peerdeman (46-48). 

It turned out that meeting a 20 ppb limit was not excessively burdensome on major manufacturers of peanut butter and other peanut products, at least in the United States aflatoxin tended to concentrate in discolored or otherwise irregular peanuts, which, fortunately, could be picked up and rejected by modern electronic sorting machines. Manufacturers did, however, have to institute substantial additional quality control procedures to meet FDA limits, and many smaller manufacturers had trouble meeting a 20 ppb limit. An extensive USDA program of sampling and analysis of raw peanuts, which continues to this day, was also put into place as the first line of attack on the problem. 

Such analytical measurements are necessary to establish concentrations for most agents in the environment. How much benzene is present in the air at gasoline stations as a result of its evaporation from gasoline What is the concentration of arsenic in water running off the surface of a hazardous waste site where unknown amounts of arsenic were buried over many years What is the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentration in fish swimming in waters next to a hazardous waste site known to contain this substance How much aflatoxin is in a batch of peanut butter The most reliable answers to these questions are those resulting from chemical analysis. 

Risk is the probability that some harmful event will occur. What is the probability that certain types of cancer will develop in populations exposed to aflatoxin in peanut products or benzene from gasoline What is the likelihood that workers exposed to lead will develop nervous system disorders ... 

Eating 40 tbsp of peanut butter Liver cancer caused by aflatoxin ... 

DETAILS - Aflatoxins are the poisonous product of a group of polynuclear molds that grow on peanuts, com and in cottonseed meal. They are responsible for the Turkey X" disease which occasionally devastates the poultry industry. The presence of the mold doesn t always indicate presence of the toxin. Toxin production is dependent on various factors such as moisture and temperature. There are two basic types of aflatoxins, both of which are fluorescent under UV (black) light. Once the mold has been identified, the UVI ight is an excellent way to check for toxin production. Aflatoxin B glows blue, while Aflatoxm G glows... 

Liver cancer Fungus that grows on peanuts, walnuts, etc. Aflatoxins - produced by fungus in poorly stored grain... 

Four tablespoons peanut butter per day (from aflatoxin) 0.8... 

Aflatoxins Contaminant (mycotoxin) Produced by Aspergillus flavus, especially grains, corn, and peanuts carcinogenic and hepatotoxic... 

Cultural practices such as irrigation are effective in reducing aflatoxin contamination of peanut and com (54), but this practice is not always available or cost effective to growers. Other conventional disease control practices, such as the use of fungicides, are largely ineffective in controlling A. flavus infection of crops when utilized at concentrations that are cost effective as well as environmentally safe. 

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