Aflatoxin reduction in nuts by roasting, irradiation and fumigation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the reduction of aflatoxins as a potent hazard for human health in nuts during roasting, irradiation, and fumigation processes. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science on 6 April 2020 to find interventional studies assessing the effects of roasting, fumigation, and irradiation methods on total and individual aflatoxins concentration in nuts. Study-specific results were pooled by using a random-effects model. A total of 19 trials were included in the analyses. In most studies, the influence of method on aflatoxin reduction was assessed on peanuts. The results showed that the roasting method significantly reduced aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 concentrations by 46.91%, 30.66%, 40.88%, and 26.19%, respectively. Such results for the fumigation method were 20.88% and 22.56% for aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin total, respectively. There was a 58.60% reduction in aflatoxin B1 and a 74.97% reduction in aflatoxin total concentrations in nuts following the irradiation method. The findings indicated that the evaluated processes could be influential for reducing aflatoxin levels in nuts.

Keywords:

• Aflatoxin
• fumigation
• irradiation
• roasting
• nuts

Disclosure statement

The authors declare not having any conflict of interest.

Authors contributions

AA and AE designed the study, conducted systematic search and conceived screened articles and selected eligible articles, extracted information from eligible studies; AJ, and MM performed analyses and interpreted the results; AA and AE critically revised the manuscript. All authors contributed to writing, reviewing or revising the paper. AA is the guarantor. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.