Author(s)

Andrew H. Siwela, Kudzayishe J. Mukaroa, Nozipo Nziramasanga

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Peanut butter was monitored for aflatoxin contamination at different stages during its large-scale production starting from raw shelled peanuts up to the final product. Twenty five samples, weighing 2 kg each, were taken from each of the following stages: roasting at 160?C, blanching/de-skinning and grinding. The sub-samples were ground, thoroughly mixed and further reduced by the quartering technique until a 1 kg sub-sample was obtained. This was then analyzed for aflatoxins using reverse phase HPLC incorporating pre-column trifluoroacetic acid derivatization. The results showed a total aflatoxin percentage reduction of 51% after roasting, 27% after blanching/de-skinning followed by a further 11% after grinding to make peanut butter. This meant that there was a cumulative total reduction of 89% of aflatoxin concentration during the production process of peanut butter. These results show that there is a significant reduction of aflatoxin levels at the roasting and blanching stages in the process of producing peanut butter.

Aflatoxin, Roasting, Blanching, Peanut Butter

A. Siwela, K. Mukaroa and N. Nziramasanga, "Aflatoxin Carryover during Large Scale Peanut Butter Production," Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 2, 2011, pp. 105-108. doi: 10.4236/fns.2011.22014.