Inhibition of Aflatoxin Accumulation in Smoked Substrates

The pattern of fungal colonization on processed (smoked) copra kernels and the levels of aflatoxin detected in copra and in culture of Aspergillus flavus on fresh coconut suggested that aflatoxin accumulation was inhibited by the smoking process. This paper describes the study of the smoking process under laboratory conditions with fresh coconut and potato dextrose broth; aflatoxin accumulation was found to be significantly or totally inhibited in both smoked coconut and in smoked broth. Mycelial growth was inhibited to a lesser degree. On account of the urgent need for simple, cheap and efficent techniques for the processing and safe storage of food substrates especially in poor tropical countries, we suggest that the smoking process deserves study under industrial conditions for the protection of other agricultural food crops (e.g. groundnut) as well.