Biological Control of Aflatoxin Contamination

The Problem

Aflatoxins are potent hepatotoxic, carcinogenic metabolites produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius.1 These fungi have the capability of invading various agricultural commodities during maturation in the field or after harvest and contaminating them with aflatoxin. Commodities such as corn, peanuts, cottonseed, and various tree nuts are particularly susceptible to pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination when environmental conditions during crop maturation are characterized by high temperatures and moisture stress and when insect injury is prevalent.2  Because of the toxicity and carcinogenicity of aflatoxins, contaminated commodities destined for human or animal consumption pose a significant health hazard and are, therefore, closely monitored and regulated.3

Aflatoxin contamination in pre and post-harvest, and processing, is the focus of considerable research conducted through governmental and scientific communities. Government regulations, industry standards, risk management strategies, and advanced technology have shifted the risk of aflatoxin contamination of food and feed products from that of a health issue to an economic concern in most developed countries. However, many developing countries remain at risk through the consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food and feed commodities.

A Biocontrol Strategy

Current strategies for aflatoxin control are containment and minimization, whereas the identified need is elimination of aflatoxin contamination. The problem needs to be fixed at the source, i.e., on the farm (pre-harvest) and during storage. Promising research has been shown in the fields of breeding, genetic engineering, and regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis, but it is generally agreed that biological competition will become, and remain necessary in the control of aflatoxin contamination throughout the growth, storage and processing of food and feed commodities. Given the reservations of some sectors of the public regarding genetically modified food, it may be advantageous if elimination could be achieved without expressing novel genes in the edible nut itself.4

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