Implication of aflatoxins as potent carcinogens

Abstract

Aspergillus species influence human and animal health directly and indirectly with a significant economic impact on the society. A. flavus and A. parasiticus are the two major species that produce aflatoxins. Several mycotoxins are reported from several other mycotoxigenic fungi of which the aflatoxins are the most toxic and damaging polyketides. Economically important crops such as maize, rice, cotton seed, peanuts, and spices are all susceptible to contamination of aflatoxin. The aim of this review is to make an extensive review and come up with ways to curtail this global challenge on how to manage aflatoxin contamination in crops and other food products since the toxins have been classified as potent carcinogens and about 25% of food is being lost due to aflatoxin contamination annually. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) conducted evaluation of several chemicals of their carcinogenic potential and classified aflatoxins as most potent natural, known human carcinogens. The methodology was by selecting the most recent researches conducted on new techniques to be employed in overcoming the issue of aflatoxin contamination both during the pre and post-harvest strategies. The Data gathered was subjected to appropriate statistical tool so as to come up with more improved techniques. It was found that both chemical and physical methods have certain drawbacks which may lead to drop in human and animal health, cause a significant decline in the quality of food products, losses of nutritional value, high cost and cause undesirable health effects, but biological methods using microorganisms seems more promising, they provide an attractive alternative tool for removing toxins and safeguarding the value of food and feed in an eco-friendly way.

Key words: Aflatoxin, Contamination, Crops, Pre and Post-harvest.