Aflatoxins: A Postharvest Associated Challenge and Mitigation Opportunities

*Anup Ramdas Kodape, Ashika Raveendran and Chikkarasanahalli Shivegowda Vivek Babu*

### **Abstract**

In agriculture, Aflatoxins are of major concern as they affect the nutrient quality of crops like Groundnut, Maize, and Coffee which are global economic commodities. Aflatoxin-contaminated products cause substantial financial losses and significant health problems in living beings. Aspergillus produces aflatoxin*s* during environmental stress conditions. The International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) conducted studies on aflatoxins and found that Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), Aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), Aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) and Aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) can cause cancer in both humans and animals and are classified into the Group 1 category of chemical hazards for potentiation mutagens. In India, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) monitors Aflatoxin levels in food and feeds. Aflatoxin contamination reduces the quality of groundnuts, maize, and coffee, affecting their exports. Consumption of aflatoxins contaminated feed induces liver cancer, immune suppressions, shunted growth, and in higher amounts, causes death. The current review provides information based on previous studies and newly adapted guidelines and methods showing the impact of aflatoxins on crops such as groundnut, coffee, and maize. The use of artificial intelligence to detect aflatoxin and mitigation opportunities using technologies such as Aflasafe, Aflaguard, hermetic bags, and Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS).

**Keywords:** aspergillus, aflatoxin, groundnuts, maize, coffee, biological control, artificial intelligence

#### **1. Introduction**

A new disease was identified with unknown characteristics in England during the 1950s and 1960s, which increased turkey mortality. Later, aflatoxin was recognized in 1960 in England as a causative agent of the mysterious Turkey 'X' disease that causes excessive mortality in the poults of Turkey (**Table 1**) [1–5]. The term aflatoxin (*Aspergillus flavus* toxin) was coined for this toxic agent [2]. Aflatoxins are low molecular weight and extremely toxic compounds. These are classified as the largest group of mycotoxins. The mold that includes the species of *Aspergillus* and *Penicillium* accounts for the spoilage of stored grains. Fungi under extreme

#### *Aflatoxins - Occurrence, Detection and Novel Detoxification Strategies*


*Aflatoxins: A Postharvest Associated Challenge and Mitigation Opportunities DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106333*


#### **Table 1.**

*Timeline for Aflatoxin (1960–2021).*

stress and inadequate maintenance, such as low nitrogen content, temperature, and drought, enhance aflatoxin accumulation in *Aspergillus spp*. *A. flavus* contaminates oilseed, stored grains, and coffee in pre and postharvest conditions. Globally, FAO (The Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations) has provided regulations on mycotoxin content in both food and feeds, and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has assigned specific limits for aflatoxins for human consumption, i.e., 20 ppb (parts per billion) and 0.5 ppb in food and dairy products respectively. A person infected with the hepatitis B virus who ingests aflatoxin-contaminated food has a higher risk of developing hepatic cancer [6]. European Union (EU) has specified stringent standards of value 4 ppb for aflatoxins. Several approaches have been explored to examine Aflatoxins present in foods such as TLC, HPLC, ELISA, LC-MS/MS, and others. HPLC, combined with fluorescence detection, is an analytical method widely used for detecting aflatoxins in different food samples (**Table 2**).

#### **1.1 Aflatoxins and stored grains**

## *1.1.1 Groundnut*

Groundnut is a leading oil production crop and a highly traded commodity. China ranks first for groundnut production globally with 17.57 million metric tons (MMT) of quantity. India produces 6.93 MMT, Nigeria, 4.45MMT, Sudan 2.83 MMT, and US 2.49MT. Furthermore, groundnut production will be 81.56 MMT in 2020–2022. The estimated groundnut production in 2021–2022 will be 82.54 MMT. The fungi, namely *Aspergillus flavus* and *Aspergillus parasiticus* that produce aflatoxins, contaminate the field, resulting in significant loss of groundnut production. Due to this, the yield is reduced by 13–59%, particularly during warm and humid conditions. Pests account for an estimated 39% of all losses, leading to increased economic loss. Drought is yet another contributor to the decline in groundnut production. These conditions favor the growth of opportunistic molds, which enhances field contamination higher and loss of yield. An estimated 20–30% of groundnut loss occurs due to damaged pods during the postharvest. This merely relies on the techniques used for post-harvesting and the soil's moisture content. Insect activity in storage conditions increases the chances of contamination up to 6–10%. In Gujrat, groundnut is harvested during June and October twice a year. In both cases, there is a high risk of experiencing rain during drying harvested crops which causes heavy damage to a pod. Around 50% turned black due to mold infections. In such conditions, molds produce aflatoxins, which reduces seeds' quality and market value (**Figure 1**).


#### *Aflatoxins - Occurrence, Detection and Novel Detoxification Strategies*


