Riesgo toxicológico de aflatoxinas presentes en maní y nueces comercializados en los principales mercados de la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genus Aspergillus, especially flavus and parasiticus, which produce acute and chronic problems for the health of the people, the most serious being the development of liver cancer produced by the AFB1. What is worrying is that they can proliferate in many foods, including nuts, which nowadays are consumed with some degree of frequency by its relationship with the low rate of mortality for cardiovascular diseases and their important nutritional properties. The main objective of this research was to determine the toxicological risk to which they are exposed consumers, depending on the concentration of aflatoxin in samples of peanut and nut that are sold in bulk in the markets of city of Cuenca, and the dose, frequency and form of these food consumption, information collected through surveys a group of the population. The method used for the determination of these toxins was HighPerformance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector, prior purification of the sample by means of immunoaffinity column (IAC). Found concentrations of aflatoxins, both signs of walnut and peanut not exceeded the limits permitted by international standards, with the exception of a sample of peanut that I present a very high value of AFG1 and AFB1, which somehow forces relevant entities to carry out samplings and permanent analysis and establish standards Ecuadorian for control of aflatoxin in food according to our reality. The toxicological risk, was determined by the method of Monte Carlo simulation.