| Aflatoxin contamination during pre and postharvest of groundnut crop
Aflatoxin is one of the mycotoxins that contains that contaminate agricultural products and it has assumed economic importance because of its influence on the health of humans and livestocks, and on the marketability of agricultural products. Aflatoxins are carcinogens and their influence to cause liver cancer is enhanced by the presence of the Hepatitis B virus. Aflatoxins can enter into human and cattle food-chain if the contaminated material is consumed. Recent studies have clearly shown the risk of exposure of a large cross-section of population, especially children, in India, as result of the presence of non-permissible levels of aflatoxin in groundnut kernels, confectioneries and in milk. ICRISAT has been able to attract funding from various sources to workout cost-effective methods for minimizing aflatoxin contamination "on-farm" and during storage. Building partnership among scientists, NGOs and farmers to create awareness about the harmful effects of aflatoxins and to promote management practices to eliminate aflatoxin contamination in groundnut should on top of the agenda of an ambitious research project at ICRISAT near Hyderabad. Detection and estimation of aflatoxin in various food and feeds in collaboration with medical and animal husbandry sectors should be accorded equal priority. Funded by the Department for International Development(DFID), U.K., the project will also assess the risk of aflatoxin contamination during pre and postharvest of groundnut crop. |
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