Aflatoxin contamination is a common phenomenon produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, acting on food crops consumed in both developing countries and, occasionally, in the United States. Aflatoxin grows on corn and grain crops after harvest during the drying process. Outbreaks of aflatoxicosis (poisoning by aflatoxin) were first noted in the 1960s in England after more than 100,000 turkeys on poultry farms died after consuming contaminated feed. Currently aflatoxin contamination is "unavoidable" according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and many countries have imposed regulatory limits of accepted concentrations on crops used for food and animal feed. Standards for animal feed are generally much lower than those of food used for human consumption. Aflatoxin contamination generally occurs on crops such as rice, corn, cottonseed, nuts, spices and figs and can occasionally be detected in milk, cheese and other foods and feeds. The extent of the contamination that occurs varies with geographic location, the agricultural practices of the farmers and the susceptibility of commodities to fungal activity during pre-harvest, storage and processing periods. Fungal growth on crops can begin before harvest and can increase from production and harvest conditions. Evolutionary history of aflatoxin suggests that the aflatoxin may be produced by the fungus as a defense mechanism.
Contamination
Aflatoxin is a secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus fungi. Growth occurs at temperaturesbetween 24-35