Determination of Aflatoxin B1 and Total Aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, and G2) Risk in Pistachios and Dried Figs Collected from Local Markets in Şanlıurfa by High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method
1
Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council, Marmara Research Centre Food Institute, Kocaeli
2
Harran University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Şanlıurfa
Abstract
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus molds and have carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic effects. These toxins, which are especially common in dried foods such as nuts, corn, peanuts, pistachios, figs, and spices, pose a serious threat to human health and food safety. Aflatoxins, which are a major risk factor for public health, agriculture and international trade on a global scale, occur especially under inappropriate harvesting, storage, and processing conditions. This problem, which is seen in export products such as pistachios and figs in Türkiye, causes economic losses and obstacles in international trade. Precautions to be taken before and after harvest, storage of products separately and providing appropriate conditions are of great importance for the prevention of aflatoxins. The aim of this study was to determine the aflatoxin risk in pistachios and figs. Aflatoxins were detected in 16 samples of dried pistachios and 5 samples of dried figs taken from the open market in Sanliurfa and some of the samples exceeded the accepted limit values. While G1 and G2 were detected in 3 of the pistachio samples, AFB1 was detected between 0.21-404.62 ppb in 4 samples and AFB2 was detected between 0.1-0.96 ppb in 3 samples. Total aflatoxin content ranged from a minimum of 5.04 ppb to a maximum of 405.58 ppb with an average of 108.53 ppb. In addition, when the aflatoxin contents of dried fig samples were analyzed, the presence of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 was detected in some samples. Aflatoxin AFG1 (0.03 ppb) and AFG2 (0.05-0.06 ppb) were detected in 1 fig sample and AFB1 and AFB2 were detected in 3 fig samples. AFB1 was detected between 25.16-44.45 ppb in 3 samples and AFB2 was detected between 0.01-6.07 ppb in 3 samples. Total aflatoxin content ranged from a minimum of 0.56 ppb to a maximum of 51.15 ppb with an average of 25.105 ppb. In this study, aflatoxin was found in some of the pistachio and fig samples. Aflatoxin formation may increase due to unfavorable conditions especially in drying and storage processes. Therefore, careful management and strict control of the drying and storage stages is of great importance to reduce the risk of aflatoxins. Such measures play a critical role in both ensuring food safety and maintaining product quality.
Keywords
AFB1,AFB2,AFG1,AFG2,Afs,fig,pistachio
How to Cite
ÖZER , H. ., & KAPLAN, F. (2025). Determination of Aflatoxin B1 and Total Aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, and G2) Risk in Pistachios and Dried Figs Collected from Local Markets in Şanlıurfa by High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method. ISPEC Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 9(3), 655–666. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15782004
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Fatma KAPLAN
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