Almonds, aflatoxin contamination

Aspergillus flavus invasion and aflatoxin contamination in almonds are usually associated with damaged kernels (8,11,12,13). The most significant source of damage to almond kernels is caused by the navel orangeworm larvae, Amyelois transltella (Walker). 

A. flavus invasion and aflatoxin development can occur in the absence of insect damage, results suggest that sound almond kernels are relatively free of aflatoxin contamination. However, surveys over a three-year period established that aflatoxin may occur in tree nuts, such as almond, throughout the growing area and that only a relatively few kernels in a large population were contaminated W ... 

Campbell, B.C., Molyneux, R.J. Schatzki, T.F. (2003) Current research on reducing pre-and post-harvest aflatoxin contamination of U.S. almond, pistachio, and walnut. J. Toxicol. Toxin Rev. 22(2-3), 225-266. 

The Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants at its thirty-eighth session (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2006) requested that the Committee conduct a dietary exposure assessment for total aflatoxins (AFT) from consumption of tree nuts (ready-to-eat)—in particular, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and pistachios—and analyse the impact on dietary exposure of hypothetical maximum limits (MLs) of 4, 8, 10 and 15 pg/kg with consideration of the overall dietary AFT exposure, including consumption of maize and groundnuts. An additional request was received by the Committee to take into account in its assessment an additional hypothetical ML of 20 pg/kg. 

Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (2007) CX/CF 07/1/9. Discussion paper on maximum levels for total aflatoxins in ready-to-eat almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios. Rome, Italy, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (ftp //ftp.fao.org/Codex/cccf1/cf01 09e.pdf). 

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