Descriptions in toxicology, interactions, extraction, and analytical methods of Aflatoxins; a 10-year study performed in Iranian foodstuffs

ABSTRACT

Aflatoxins are one of the most important mycotoxins that are harmful to public health. Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus are the known moulds which produce mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds named aflatoxins. These compounds are naturally considered to be toxic and dangerous for humans and animals. In this review, toxicology of these compounds is considered and the ways for their decreasing are discussed. Finally, the level of aflatoxins in Iranian foodstuffs and the analytical and extraction methods are mentioned based on scientific databases. The results indicate that aflatoxins are present in many foods in Iran. This research highlights the need for more public health intervention to reduce the level of aflatoxins in Iran. This work reviewed the papers published in Iran in recent 10 years.

Abbreviations: : AF,Aflatoxin; OTA, Ochratoxin A; AFB₁, Aflatoxin B₁; AFB₂, Aflatoxin B₂, AFG₁, Aflatoxin G₁, AFG₂, Aflatoxin G₂; AFM₁, Aflatoxin M₁, AFM₂, Aflatoxin M₂, TLC, Thin layer chromatography; HPLC, High performance liquid chromatography; FLD, Fluorescence detector; MS, Mass spectrometry; ELISA, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; DSPE, Dispersive solid phase extraction; DLLME, Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction.

KEYWORDS:

• Mycotoxins
• aflatoxins
• toxicity
• food safety
• analytical methods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).