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Natural Occurrence of Aflatoxins from Maize in Iran

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Abstract

Fifty-one maize samples, intended for animal feed and human consumption, were collected from the four main maize production provinces in Iran and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for contamination by four naturally occurring aflatoxin analogues (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2). AFB1 was detected in 58.3, and 80% of the maize samples obtained from Kermanshah and Mazandaran provinces, respectively. The maximum AFB1 (276.3 μg/kg) and highest level of total aflatoxins (AFT) (316.9 μg/kg) were detected in a maize sample collected from Kermanshah province. The mean aflatoxin level from contaminated samples (52.60 μg/kg) from Kermanshah was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than those in maize from the other three provinces and exceeded all the maximum tolerated levels (MTLs) set for AFT in maize. The level of AFB1 in 15.68% of the total samples was above the MTL (5 μg/kg) for AFB1 in maize in Iran. The mean contamination level of AFT (23.86 μg/kg) in the positive samples was higher than MTL for maize in Iran (20 μg/kg) intended for animal feed. The levels of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 ranged between not detected (<0.1 μg/kg) and 276.3, 30.4, 9.1, and 1.1 μg/kg in maize grain, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors extend their sincere gratitude to K. Zabihi (Herbal Forage of Ministry of Agriculture, Tehran, Iran) for providing facilities for the collection of maize and A. Roohbakhsh for preparation of meteorological data. We are also grateful to the PROMEC Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa for its technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Parasitology and Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, P. O. Box 65155-518, Hamadan, Iran

    S. A. Ghiasian

  2. Medical Parasitology and Mycology Department, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, P. O. Box 14155-6446, Tehran, Iran

    S. A. Ghiasian

  3. PROMEC Unit, Medical Research Council, P. O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa

    G. S. Shephard

  4. Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, School of Pharmacy, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, P. O. Box 14155-6153, Tehran, Iran

    H. Yazdanpanah

  5. Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, P. O. Box 14155-3817, Tehran, Iran

    H. Yazdanpanah

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  1. S. A. Ghiasian
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  2. G. S. Shephard
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  3. H. Yazdanpanah
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Correspondence to S. A. Ghiasian.

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Ghiasian, S.A., Shephard, G.S. & Yazdanpanah, H. Natural Occurrence of Aflatoxins from Maize in Iran. Mycopathologia 172, 153–160 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-011-9405-y

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