Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts

Commercial varieties of maize and peanuts are highly prone to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination at pre and postharvest stages. In a screening of 600 samples each of maize and peanuts from Tamil Nadu, India, for the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), 28 and 32.67 % of the maize and...

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Main Authors: Muthusamy Karthikeyan, Shanmuga Priya Dhanabalan, Bavish Shanmugavel, Shajith Basha Jaffer, Subbaiyan Marimuthu, Krishnan Radhika, Elakkiya Nagappan, Iruthayasamy Johnson, Sambasivam Periyannan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325001802
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author Muthusamy Karthikeyan
Shanmuga Priya Dhanabalan
Bavish Shanmugavel
Shajith Basha Jaffer
Subbaiyan Marimuthu
Krishnan Radhika
Elakkiya Nagappan
Iruthayasamy Johnson
Sambasivam Periyannan
author_facet Muthusamy Karthikeyan
Shanmuga Priya Dhanabalan
Bavish Shanmugavel
Shajith Basha Jaffer
Subbaiyan Marimuthu
Krishnan Radhika
Elakkiya Nagappan
Iruthayasamy Johnson
Sambasivam Periyannan
author_sort Muthusamy Karthikeyan
collection DOAJ
description Commercial varieties of maize and peanuts are highly prone to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination at pre and postharvest stages. In a screening of 600 samples each of maize and peanuts from Tamil Nadu, India, for the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), 28 and 32.67 % of the maize and peanut samples tested positive, where 6 and 9.5 % of both pre and postharvest maize and peanut samples exceeded the minimum threshold level of 20 μg/kg. The highest level of AFB1 was recorded as 147.23 and 162.72 μg/kg in maize and peanut and in postharvest samples. Additionally, a high number of positive samples in postharvest and Rabi season crops indicates the influence of moisture on A. flavus proliferation and toxin production. Effective preharvest management practices include the integrated use of biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma viride and Bacillus subtilis, while postharvest measures involve drying of harvest produce (with moisture content below 9 %), treatment with Andrographis paniculata extracts and storage in jute bags. Further, our findings emphasize the integration of pre and postharvest management strategies to mitigate A. flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination in maize and peanuts, thereby ensuring food security for the growing human population.
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spelling doaj-art-7fed3536f52d4979a1de993e91798bf02025-08-20T03:10:24ZengElsevierJournal of Agriculture and Food Research2666-15432025-06-012110180910.1016/j.jafr.2025.101809Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanutsMuthusamy Karthikeyan0Shanmuga Priya Dhanabalan1Bavish Shanmugavel2Shajith Basha Jaffer3Subbaiyan Marimuthu4Krishnan Radhika5Elakkiya Nagappan6Iruthayasamy Johnson7Sambasivam Periyannan8Department of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India; Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350, AustraliaDepartment of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, IndiaAgro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India; Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, AustraliaDepartment of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, IndiaCentre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia; National Pulses Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vamban, Tamil Nadu, 622303, IndiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, SNS College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641035, IndiaCentral Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600028, IndiaDepartment of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India; Corresponding author. Department of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India.Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350, Australia; School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350, Australia; Corresponding author. Centre for Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350, Australia.Commercial varieties of maize and peanuts are highly prone to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination at pre and postharvest stages. In a screening of 600 samples each of maize and peanuts from Tamil Nadu, India, for the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), 28 and 32.67 % of the maize and peanut samples tested positive, where 6 and 9.5 % of both pre and postharvest maize and peanut samples exceeded the minimum threshold level of 20 μg/kg. The highest level of AFB1 was recorded as 147.23 and 162.72 μg/kg in maize and peanut and in postharvest samples. Additionally, a high number of positive samples in postharvest and Rabi season crops indicates the influence of moisture on A. flavus proliferation and toxin production. Effective preharvest management practices include the integrated use of biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma viride and Bacillus subtilis, while postharvest measures involve drying of harvest produce (with moisture content below 9 %), treatment with Andrographis paniculata extracts and storage in jute bags. Further, our findings emphasize the integration of pre and postharvest management strategies to mitigate A. flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination in maize and peanuts, thereby ensuring food security for the growing human population.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325001802MaizePeanutsAspergillus flavusAflatoxinPacking methodsPlant products
spellingShingle Muthusamy Karthikeyan
Shanmuga Priya Dhanabalan
Bavish Shanmugavel
Shajith Basha Jaffer
Subbaiyan Marimuthu
Krishnan Radhika
Elakkiya Nagappan
Iruthayasamy Johnson
Sambasivam Periyannan
Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Maize
Peanuts
Aspergillus flavus
Aflatoxin
Packing methods
Plant products
title Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
title_full Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
title_fullStr Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
title_full_unstemmed Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
title_short Aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
title_sort aflatoxin evaluation and integrated management strategies to minimize toxin contamination in maize and peanuts
topic Maize
Peanuts
Aspergillus flavus
Aflatoxin
Packing methods
Plant products
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325001802
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