The effect study of flour producing process from wheat and bread baking in aflatoxin B1 content in Kiar, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province

Subject Areas : Food Microbial Contamination

Iraj Safian ¹ , Haniyeh Nowzari ²

1 - Environmental Engineering, the tendency of Environmental Pollution, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
2 - Department of Environment, Abadeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadeh, Iran

Received: 2020-02-17 Accepted : 2020-05-17 Published : 2020-12-21

Keywords: Wheat, flour, Bread, Aflatoxin B1,

Abstract :

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced by some the fungi species such as Aspergillus and Penicillium of which Aflatoxin B1 is one of the most potent hepatic carcinogens in animal species. Wheat, flour, and bread are some of the most consumed foodstuffs and nutritious environments for the growth of mycotoxin-producing molds. According to the position of flour production factory of Kiar city and long duration of stay of wheat in its warehouses, this study aimed to study the aflatoxin B1 levels in the wheat and flour of this factory and the baked bread of them. In this study, 27 wheats, flour, and bread samples (9 samples of each) were collected and prepared from the Kiar flour factory and the concentration of aflatoxin B1 of samples was determined by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the aflatoxin B1 levels in wheat, flour, and baked bread were lower than the national standard limit, so those foodstuffs are not polluted by aflatoxin B1. Also, the aflatoxin B1 levels of wheat samples are higher than bread samples and the aflatoxin B1 levels of flour samples are higher than bread samples, therefore that toxin decreases efficiently during yeast production and heat of baking. On the other hand, due to the strong linear correlation between aflatoxin B1 levels in wheat, flour, and bread, an increase of the toxin in wheat causing the increase of the toxin in flour and bread; so reducing the production of aflatoxin in wheat using control of the temperature and humidity in wheat silages more effectively resulting in a further reduction of aflatoxin in flour and bread. As a result, it is recommended to monitor the wheat warehouses in terms of ventilation, flour production for preparing a variety of food products and bake the ingredients at the optimum temperature.