Robert C. Baker Head of Food Safety, Mars Incorporated “Managing Aflatoxin Risks From Farm To Fork” 4TH Dubai International Food Safety Conference Robert C. Baker Head of Food Safety, Mars Incorporated 1 26 February 2009

Objectives Provide basic awareness of Aflatoxin and potential risks in the Food Chain Provide a framework for managing Aflatoxin risks Provide a means of monitoring and verifying the effectiveness of aflatoxin management processes In 30 minutes…..

Agenda What are aflatoxins? At risk materials Factors influencing aflatoxin production Methods for managing aflatoxin risks Methods of aflatoxin detection Summary

Mycotoxins Zearalenone Secondary fungal metabolites that exert toxic effects on animals and human beings. More than 300 secondary metabolites have been described but only thirty really exert toxic effects. The chemical structure of mycotoxin is very diverse Deoxynivalenol Polyacetates : aflatoxins, citrinine, ochratoxins patulin, zearalenone, fumonisins, Terpenes : trichothecenes (sesqui), tremorgenes, Peptides : ergotamin (alcaloïdes), tryptoquivaline,.. Piperazines : sporidesmin, gliotoxin, roquefortine,.. Aflatoxin B1 Fumonisin B1 Ochratoxin A

Aflatoxins Four aflatoxins (order of toxicity): B1 >G1 > B2 > G2 Other aflatoxins occur as metabolic products (e.g., aflatoxin M1 in milk) Highly toxic Aflatoxins are among the most toxic naturally occurring substances known. Carcinogenic, hepatotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic All animal species affected by aflatoxins. Can be passed through food chain (e.g., milk of animals which are fed contaminated feed). Heat Stable Withstand typical food processing temperatures Aflatoxin B1

Aflatoxin production Aflatoxin is produced by species of the fungus Aspergillus: Aspergillus flavus aw range: 0.80-0.99 Temperature range: 10-43oC Aspergillus parasiticus aw range: 0.83-0.99 Toxins can be produced over a wide temperature range: 15-37oC

Aflatoxin associated alerts 2007 - Peanuts – Saudi Arabia 2006 - Dog food – US (23 dog deaths) 2004 - Maize – Kenya (125 deaths) 2004 - Paprika – Hungary 2001 – Rice – China **THESE ARE TAKEN FROM ALERTS via PROMED ARCHIVE**

RASFF Aflatoxin reports RASFF: Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Aflatoxin most significant mycotoxin. (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) Annual Report, 2005)

Aflatoxin associated notifications (EU) In 2005 : 947 aflatoxin notifications 498 pistachio nuts : (92% from Iran) 219 peanuts and derived products : (36% from China, 15% Brazil) 64 hazelnuts and derived products : (83% from Turkey) 33 almonds and derived products : (85% from US) 48 dried figs : (96% from Turkey) 13 melon seeds : (77% from Nigeria) 48 herbs and spices : (56% from India) **RASFF alerts 2005 – border inspection etc – Europe** (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) Annual Report, 2005)

Legal limits – raw materials Reference Human Raws Nuts & dried fruits for direct consumption or ingredient use. Total Aflatoxin: 4 ppb Aflatoxin B1: 2 ppb Commission Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 Nuts & dried fruits to be subjected physical treatment prior to consumption. Total Aflatoxin : 10 ppb Aflatoxin B1: 5 ppb All Cereals and derived products. Spices (inc. chilli powder, nutmeg, ginger etc). Petfood Raws Maize and co-products Total Aflatoxin : 20 ppb Aflatoxin B1: 10 ppb Commission Regulation (EC) 2002/32/EC

Materials at risk of aflatoxin contamination Crops which are frequently affected include: Cereals (barley, wheat, oats, maize, rice, sorghum, dried grains). Nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pine nuts). Spices (chilli peppers, black pepper, coriander, tumeric, ginger) Animal products from which contaminated feeds were consumed (i.e. milk & dairy products. protein meals)

Factors influencing aflatoxin production Need to understand risks at each Step and evaluate every year!!! In the field Agricultural Practices Climate (humidity / temperature / rainfall) Crop variety Treatments (insects and fungi) At harvesting Maturity at harvesting Moisture Disease State During storage Temperature Moisture Insect treatment During transformation & process Cleaning Temperature Process

Aflatoxin management Starts with a comprehensive “Material Quality Management Program” Needs to be risk based and cover the entire pipeline Risk assessments are not static and need to be performed for each material and harvested crop. In the Field (GAP, climate & crop monitoring) During Harvest / Storage (moisture control, interim storage conditions) Inbound acceptance (specifications) Storage (silo design / management, conditioning, cleaning, monitoring) Finished Product (specifications and distribution)

Aflatoxin management: In the Field Drought during pollination Farm geography and climate. Crop species and variety. Regional crop risk assessment via industry, government or academic sources, where available, on a seasonal basis. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Biocontrol systems Monsoon after Drought

Aflatoxin management: Harvest Harvest weather conditions. Harvesting at appropriate moisture content (max. moisture 13%). Harvest maturity. Interim storage of harvested materials. Disease state of crop & bushel weight.

Aflatoxin management: Inbound Robust sampling of inbound raws: Risk Based Take into account that mycotoxin contaminations are skewed and not evenly distributed Stationary bulk loads (flatbed trucks, rail cars, and barges), sampled using probes as approved by GIPSA (GIPSA, Grain Sampling Procedures, Jan 2001). At least 10 incremental samples taken and aggregated into one sample. Personnel must be trained on importance of sampling

Truck Sampling Plan Sampling 20 samples from truck 10 first points combined as Group A 10 latter points combined as Group B Sample A&B are individually ground for testing

Aflatoxin management: Storage Materials stored under conditions to minimise mould growth. Suitable material (stainless steel, plastic). Smooth/flat walled bins & silos. Vessels designed to prevent moisture and pest ingress. Vessels shall be designed such that they empty completely.

Aflatoxin management: Finished Product Product designs and specifications must take into account legal and material risks Solid understanding of distribution pipeline and potential for temperature shock Finished product testing is a valid means of verifying “Front End” risk management processes. Mycotoxin binders ???

Methods of aflatoxin detection: HPLC Gold-standard for mycotoxin detection. Reverse phase HPLC used most widely. Can be automated. Method must to be validated for specific material and toxin. Operator needs to be well trained. Participation in recognized proficiency testing program Highly Recommended.

Methods of aflatoxin detection: ELISA Rapid and reliable ‘screen’ for aflatoxin. Does not require specialised equipment (like HPLC). Commercial ELISA kits available for detection of total aflatoxins. Easily trained to factory personnel Must be validated for specific material Comparable to HPLC in 4-40 ppb range (Zheng et al, Mycopathologia; 2005).

Methods of aflatoxin detection: Black (UV) Light Not recommended Works through florescence of contaminated kernels Florescence based on detection of Kojic Acid not aflatoxin Kojic acid breaks down leading to false “negative” results Issue greater in tropical regions

Summary Key Points in Aflatoxin Management A sound Material Quality Management program is critical. Aflatoxin risk can change with every new crop, growing location, supplier and / or change along the pipeline. Effective sampling, validated methods and trained personnel are required Be prepared for the unexpected….

Thank You!!!