Application of Risk Management Metrics for Aflatoxin Control in the Peanut Chain.

• Grant number: 23/16194-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: January 31, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Marta Hiromi Taniwaki
• Grantee: Marta Hiromi Taniwaki
• Host Investigator: Maria Esther Garcia Cela
• Host Institution: Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Hertfordshire, England
• Associated research grant: 17/50349-0 - Plan of institutional development in research of the Institute of Food Technology - ITAL (PDIp), AP.PDIP

Abstract

The Food Safety Objective (FSO) is a concept that specifies the maximum level of hazard that can be tolerated in a food at the time of consumption, in order to guarantee an appropriate level of protection for consumer health. It is a tool that provides risk management throughout the food production chain from the field to consumer. The application of this concept to mycotoxins was performed for the first time for aflatoxins in peanuts, but in a conceptual and theoretical way, without applying quantitative metrics. FSO metrics for mycotoxin management have been applied to aflatoxins in pistachios and more recently to ochratoxin A in coffee. A challenge that is still present and constant in peanut cultivation, which results in a reduction in its quality and a decrease in its commercial value, is the presence of aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are the most potent recognized liver carcinogens and are currently classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as Group 1 carcinogens. Measures to prevent and reduce aflatoxins in peanuts must be taken at all stages of the peanut production chain. The current trip aims to apply FSO approaches to the danger of aflatoxins in peanuts using quantitative data and to establish quantitative limits along the different stages of the peanut chain, together with Prof Esther Garcia-Cela team from the University of Hertfordshire, who were the pioneers in the quantitative approach of this tool.