Aflatoxin
Avoid aflatoxin
Some Major Food Stored Sources Include:
corn
cottonseed
groundnuts
peanuts
peanut butter
pecans
wheat
Aflatoxin is produced by stored peanuts, corn, cacao as well as other foods that have been found to be contaminated with the molds Aspergillus flavus or Aspergillus parasiticus. These moulds converts into aflatoxin, a known carcinogen. These aflatoxin molds are naturally occurring mycotoxin. Aflatoxin seems to trigger liver cancers especially when aflatoxin exposure is coupled with eating a high protein diet of greater than 5% per day. It is not related to the amount of aflatoxin taken in but rather to the amount of animal protein eaten. In a study, rats were given casein (found in dairy). Once entering the body, aflatoxins are primarily metabolized by the liver.
Aflatoxins may be present in a wide range of food commodities, particularly cereals, oilseeds, spices, tree nuts, maize, groundnuts (peanuts), pistachios, brazils, chillies, black pepper, dried fruit and figs are all known to be high risk foods for aflatoxin contamination, but aflatoxin has also been detected in many other commodities such as milk, cheese and other dairy products. This can come about especially when the livestock feed has been contaminated with aflatoxin. The highest levels of aflatoxin are usually found in commodities that are stored in warmer regions of the world where there is a great deal of climatic variation such as the tropics. If one can hand pick the whole foods, discard those that are darker indicating contamination.
Individuals who eat peanuts, and peanut butter where aspergillus thrives (even organic peanuts and peanut butter) bombard the body with aflatoxin that affects the immune system leading to liver cancers. In China today liver cancer has reached epidemic proportions. A little known experiment has shown that this bombardment of a fixed large dose of aflatoxin given to all experimental animal groups produced liver cancers in groups who ate greater than 5% dietary protein daily, especially from casein an animal sources.
While it is true that many foods contain aflatoxin the combination of high protein eaten daily is instrumental in creating liver cancers. Some researchers found an interesting observation, thyme or thyme oil decreased the affects of aflatoxin. Thyme inactivates aflatoxin. A bowl of soup with added fresh thyme could be an alternative. A variety of spices seems to inhibit aflatoxin: thyme, garlic, cinnamon, mint, and rosemary essential oils inhibit aflatoxin.
Articles on Aflatoxin Inhibition
Thyme inhibits aflatoxin
Thyme & calendula inhibits aflatoxin
Organic herbs & spices can contain aflatoxin
Spices inhibit aflatoxin
When Were Aflatoxins First Discovered?
Aflatoxins are a group of chemically similar toxic fungal metabolites (mycotoxins) produced by certain moulds of the genus Aspergillus growing on a number of raw food commodities. Aflatoxins are highly toxic compounds and can cause both acute and chronic toxicity in humans and many other animals. Their importance was first established in 1960 when 100,000 turkeys and other poultry in the UK died in a single event. The cause of this was eventually traced to a toxic contaminant in the turkey's feed. The ground nut contaminant was later named aflatoxin. This product was from Brazil.
Foods That Can Contain Aflatoxin
Cocoa Aflatoxin levels found were above 2 ng/g in cocoa.
Cashew nuts are never sold raw, but always roasted or steamed to remove the caustic nutshell liquid which is quite toxic.
Cashew nuts may contain a toxic compound known as aflatoxin
if they are stored improperly. Molds present on these nuts produce
the aflatoxin, and cashew nuts are tested for this compound upon export and import, but testing does not always detect all occurrences.
According to the FDA:
Aflatoxins have been identified in corn and corn products, peanuts and peanut products, cottonseed, milk, and tree nuts
such as Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachio nuts, and walnuts. Other grains such as wheat and nuts are susceptible but less prone
to contamination. However the commodities with the highest risk of aflatoxin contamination are
Corn
Cottonseed
Peanut
Aflatoxin is also found in
Black pepper
Brazil nuts
Cacao
Cashew
Cereals
Chillies
Dried fruit
Figs
Groundnuts (peanuts)
Oilseeds
Spices
Maize
Pecans
Peanut Products
Pistachios
Tree nuts
Walnuts
From this list it becomes more and more clear that many of these commodities are grown in the tropics. Aflatoxin contamination has also been detected in many other commodities. These are at risk of contamination by aflatoxin M. The highest levels are usually found in commodities from warmer regions of the world where there is a great deal of climatic variation. This can also come about through livestock feed being contaminated with aflatoxin. The feed once eaten by the animals, contaminates the milk and the meat of livestock fed this contaminated feed.
Cheese
Dairy products
Milk
