Assessing pulsed light treatment on the reduction of aflatoxins in peanuts with and without skin

Summary Aflatoxin(s) ( AFT s) are secondary metabolites of some Aspergillus molds commonly found in peanuts. This study aimed to reduce AFT s (B 1 and B 2 ) on contaminated peanuts (with and without skin) using Pulsed Light ( PL ) treatment for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min at 5 cm distance from the light strobe. After PL treatment, AFT levels were determined using ELISA and LC ‐ MS ‐ MS . Quality parameters of treated peanuts and oil were evaluated by comparing to control samples. Results of with‐skin and without‐skin peanuts showed 82% and 91% AFT s reduction, respectively. No significant differences ( P > 0.05) were observed for all peanut oil quality parameters while the differences in peanut kernel colour under these conditions were significant ( P < 0.05) in comparison with control samples. At the industrial level, PL may offer an effective AFT s reduction in peanuts. However, PL treatment parameters should be optimised to achieve better appearance.