Yesterday morning, one of my mother’s friends delivered a homemade peanut butter at our house. My younger sister, who just finished defending her research, said one of her classmates studied about aflatoxin in peanut butter. They found out that the homemade ones contain the most amount of aflatoxin while factory-made contain the least or none at all. Aflatoxin is a natural toxin produced by certain strains of the mold Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus that grow on peanuts stored in warm, humid silos and is a potential liver carcinogen.
My friend’s aunt died of liver cancer and her physician attribute it partly to aflatoxin since she liked fried and dried peanuts and homemade peanut butter a lot. Well, probably it was also multifactorial. I’ve also read about issues concerning peanut butter which allegedly contains large amounts of aflatoxin given to school children in the Eastern Cape under the Primary Schools Nutrition Programme (PSNP) in a Health and Home magazine 2002 edition.
Upon researching about it in the net, I found out that the crops which are frequently affected include cereals (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat), oilseeds (peanut, soybean, sunflower, cotton), spices (chile peppers, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger), and tree nuts (almond, pistachio, walnut, coconut).
There are 2 considered risk indicators for the presence of aflatoxin: temperature between 25 to 35 degrees Celsius (which is the usual range of temperature in the Philippines and other tropical countries), and kernel moisture in a range around 15 to 30 % for more than 7 - 14 days.
Simple tips to avoid aflatoxin in peanuts:
The problem lies not on the consumption of peanut per se but of moldy peanuts. Avoid consumption of dried peanuts, these are usually sold in “street foods” junction. If purchasing raw peanuts, it is still wise to ensure that the peanuts have been stored in a dry, cool environment (the fungus grows when the temperature is between 86-96°F and when the humidity is high). Roasted peanuts are thought to offer more protection against aflatoxin, plus roasting is also thought to improve peanuts’ digestibility.
You should prevent consuming roasted and fried peanuts sold at sidewalks or anywhere if you are unsure of their freshness and processing. I would recommend roasting peanuts at home, this way you can examine the mold-containing peanuts and sort them out. If roasting peanuts at home, do so gently–in a 160-170 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes–to preserve the healthy oils.
If buying for a peanut butter, just buy factory-processed ones because you are sure that these underwent proper processing.
But we should not be discouraged of eating peanuts because studies show that they are a very good source of monounsaturated fats for a healthy heart, decreasing cardiovascular accidents. Peanuts are also known by many as “food for the brain”. Ironically, peanuts can also prevent cancer by its component ‘Resveratrol‘. Other vitamins and minerals such as niacian, Vit. E. magnesium and folate.
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