Aflatoxins in corn and rice sold in Lahore, Pakistan

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants Part B, Surveillance communications Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 95 - 98
• Main Authors: Firdous, Shamma, Ashfaq, Ayisha, Khan, Shaista Jabeen, Khan, Nikhat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: aflatoxin; aflatoxin B1; Aflatoxin B1 - analysis; aflatoxin B2; aflatoxin G1; Aflatoxins - analysis; Agricultural commodities; basmati rice; Biological and medical sciences; broken rice; Commerce; Corn; Data Collection; Diet; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Oryza - microbiology; Pakistan; parboiled rice; parboiling; Rice; Seeds; surveys; Toxins; Zea mays - microbiology; Pakistan; Asia; Lahore Pakistan; Monocotyledones; Mycotoxin; Corn; basmati rice; broken rice; Toxin; Oryza sativa; Pakistan; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Cereal; parboiled rice; Spermatophyta; Aflatoxin; Rice; aflatoxin; corn
• ISSN: 1939-3229; 1939-3210; 1939-3229
• DOI: 10.1080/19393210.2013.851123

A survey was conducted to evaluate aflatoxin contamination of commonly used food in Lahore, Pakistan. In this context, 1125 samples of various food commodities were collected from various areas of Lahore city. In corn-based products AFB ₁ was detected in 52% (range 2.0–1405.3 µg kg ⁻¹) and AFB ₂ in 25% (range 1.0–55.2 µg kg ⁻¹) of the samples. In super kernel basmati rice, 13.3% of the samples (range 1.1–32.9 µg kg ⁻¹) showed the presence of AFB ₁, 1.9% was contaminated with AFB ₂ (range 1.0–8.1 µg kg ⁻¹) and only one sample exhibited the presence of AFG ₁. As far as the status of basmati rice is concerned, 18.3% was contaminated with AFB ₁ (range 1.0–15.4 µg kg ⁻¹) and 2% was contaminated with AFG ₁. In 42.9% of parboiled rice (range 1.1–9.2 µg kg ⁻¹) and 36.4% of broken rice (range 2.1–25.3 µg kg ⁻¹), samples were contaminated with AFB ₁.