Aflatoxin Detoxification in Rice using Citric Acid

Background: aflatoxins cause health hazards to human and animals and has also economical problems. therefore, the detoxificationeffect of citric acid was investigated in rice as the main food of iranian people.methods: initially 275 samples of rice were examined for aflatoxins by hplc. the aflatoxins contaminated samples werelater treated by aqueous citric acid and detoxification of aflatoxins were quantified using hplc.results: among the 275 samples analyzed, aflatoxin b1 and aflatoxin b2 were detected in 211(76.72% of total) samples.aflatoxin b1 was detected in 203(73.82% of total) samples with a mean and standard deviation of 2.3±10.21ppb. aflatoxinb2 together with aflatoxin b1 were detected in only 8(2.91% of total) samples with a mean and standard deviation of1.38±2.7ppb of aflatoxin b2 and 2.99±1.56 of aflatoxin b1 respectively. aflatoxin b1 level in 5 samples (1.82%) was abovethe maximum tolerated level of aflatoxin b1 in iran (5ppb). however considering the iranian maximum tolerated level foraflatoxins in rice (30ppb), only 3(1.09%) samples were above the 30ppb and also in regard to the european maximum toleratedlevel for aflatoxins in rice (4ppb), only 9(3.27%) samples were considered as higher than 4ppb.conclusion: the hplc assay showed that although aflatoxins with a concentration of <30 and <4 ppb in the rice sampleswere completely degraded, but 97.22% degradation occurred in rice contaminated with
30 and
4ppb when treated with1n citric acid. these results revealed the efficacy of 1n citric acid in reducing aflatoxins levels in rice.