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 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.