Comparative Analysis of Brown and White Rice Samples for the Presence of Aflatoxin B1 Contamination and effect of environment temperature on aflatoxin concentration during storage

Background: Aflatoxins are the potent carcinogens; mainly formed by species Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus are frequently present in different food entities. The aim of the study was to determine aflatoxin contamination levels in brown and white rice samples and to check the environmental temperature effect on aflatoxin concentration during storage. Materials and methods: The present study entails the comparative analysis of brown and white rice for Aflatoxin B1 contamination. The rice samples were collected from rice supplying companies of Punjab Province of Pakistan during 6 months i.e. June 2016-November 2016. Aflatoxin B1 was analyzed by thin layer chromatography technique. Among total 150 samples, 90 samples were white rice and 60 samples were brown rice. Results: AFB1 was detected in 67% of total brown rice samples and 56% of total white rice samples. Among contaminated brown rice; 43% samples were unfit i.e. beyond EU permissible limits while 24% were found fit i.e. within EU permissible limits. In white contaminated rice; 23% were unfit while 33% samples were fit. The results show a miserable condition of the both brown and white rice samples. Percentage analysis shows that brown rice samples were more contaminated with AFB1 as compared to white rice. Temperature effects on aflatoxin contamination in brown and white rice samples during storage was studied by dividing 6 months in three groups i.e. hot, humid and cold. It was shown that brown rice were not affected by temperature variation during storage while white rice samples were not properly stored and show maximum contamination in humid environment than hot and cold. Conclusion: It is direly needed to implement strict quality checks during pre harvest and post harvest practices to make rice safe for human consumption.