The effects of various storing temperatures in suppressing Aspergillus flavus and mycotoxin contaminations in hermetically packed dried nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt) seed

Abstract

Nutmeg seeds from Indonesia are an important agricultural commodity with various culinary and medicinal uses. However, they often face issues with fungal and aflatoxin contaminations, leading to increased border rejections. To address those issues, a study was conducted to minimize the risk of contamination by adjusting storage temperatures for whole nutmeg seeds without shells. The research involved storing nutmeg seeds at different temperatures (16, 22, and 28 °C) over three periods (0, 30, and 60 days) using hermetically sealed packaging to control Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin contamination. The findings revealed that storing the seeds at 16 °C resulted in optimal moisture content (5–6%) and minimal weight loss (below 4%), preventing significant physical attribute degradation. This approach also effectively controlled mold growth (the least colony diameter = 14–20 mm), and subsequently kept aflatoxin B₁ (0.8–4.3 μg/kg), total aflatoxin (1.5–4.5 μg/kg), and ochratoxin A (0.6–1.1 μg/kg) contaminations below the allowable limit for up to 60 days. These findings are significant as they provide a viable solution for long-distance distribution, thereby reducing the risk of border rejections and increasing market value in the nutmeg industry.