Evaluation of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A levels in Indonesian nutmeg

Contamination by aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in Indonesian nutmeg poses serious food safety risks, as is shown by increasing export rejections. This study evaluates a monitoring program from 2017 to 2023 across farmers, traders, and exporters in North Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Maluku. Results indicate rising aflatoxin B1 levels over the monitoring period, with North Maluku showing the highest contamination rates for aflatoxin B1 (45.1%) and ochratoxin A (45.1%). Samples from traders with 5.25% to 16.37% moisture content showed the most positive results, exceeding the European Union maximum level for aflatoxin B1 in 17% and for ochratoxin A in 2% of the samples. Moisture control in the end products to below 10% did not effectively reduce contamination, as 72% of aflatoxins-positive and 68% of ochratoxin A-positive samples contained moisture below this threshold. The study recommends strict guidelines for handling nutmeg at all production stages to improve quality in Indonesian nutmeg exports.