Aflatoxins and Mycotoxins in Nuts and Rice: Why Testing is Crucial for Food Safety and Trade

When it comes to food safety in global trade, aflatoxins and ochratoxins remain among the most pressing mycotoxin concerns—particularly in staple commodities like nuts and rice. According to data from the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), aflatoxins are the most frequently reported mycotoxins, with nuts such as peanuts and pistachios dominating the list of contamination alerts.

Aflatoxins in Nuts: A Persistent Risk

Peanuts and pistachios are highly vulnerable to aflatoxin contamination due to the oil content of their seed, especially the favorable conditions the fungus prefers in the growing, harvesting, and post-harvest storage of products. Among these, aflatoxin B1 is the most potent natural carcinogen responsible for great risks to consumer health. In the European Union, limits on aflatoxins are very strictly controlled such that recurrent non-compliance results in rejections at the borders, delays with costs, and destruction of consignments.

RASFF data have consistently shown a high incidence of aflatoxin contamination in these nut categories. Indeed, a sizeable percentage of all mycotoxin-related notifications in the system are associated with nuts from countries like Iran, Türkiye, China, and India, which emphasizes the need for strong testing back at origin as well as prior to market release.

Economically, the impacts range from bureaucratic implications to losses resulting from declined shipments, re-export fees or even costs of disposing of entire shipments exceeding safety limits. Cargo can be held pending testing for weeks. So, compliance conformity is not only needed and request prior to shipment but makes trading more predictable and reliable.

Rice and the Growing Relevance of Ochratoxins

While nuts are a known high-risk category for aflatoxins, rice also shows increasing concern in food safety monitoring systems, particularly with co-occurrence of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A (OTA). Ochratoxins, produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species, have been linked to kidney toxicity and potential carcinogenic effects.

In several RASFF notifications and academic studies, rice—especially from tropical and subtropical regions—has shown elevated levels of these mycotoxins due to improper drying, inadequate storage, and fluctuating humidity levels. This underscores the growing importance of not just aflatoxin monitoring, but also the inclusion of ochratoxins in regular surveillance programs.

The Need for Comprehensive Mycotoxin Testing

With mycotoxins impacting both food and feed chains, the call for more stringent, frequent, and accurate testing is more urgent than ever. The following strategies are vital:

• Pre-shipment testing and certification at the country of origin.
• Real-time monitoring and in-lab quantification using reliable sample preparation with HPLC-FLD or LC-MS/MS systems.
• Automated sample preparation to reduce human error and increase unattended throughput.
• Batch traceability systems to quickly identify and recall contaminated lots.

Reliable testing solutions—like those developed by LCTech immune affinity cartridges AflaCLEAN SMART / OtaCLEAN SMART—empower laboratories and exporters to comply with regulatory regulations, avoid unnecessary trade disruptions, and ultimately protect consumer and animal health.

Conclusion

The food and feed industry faces increasing scrutiny regarding mycotoxin contamination. Aflatoxins in nuts and rice, along with emerging risks like ochratoxins, illustrate the need for continuous vigilance and technological advancement in food safety testing. Investing in high-performance mycotoxin analysis is not just a regulatory necessity—it is a commitment to global food safety and economic sustainability.

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