Legal Regulation and Analytical Method for Mycotoxin in Japan

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi, are present in food and feed worldwide. Acute and chronic dietary exposures can induce adverse health effects in humans and animals. Among the various mycotoxins, aflatoxins pose significant health concerns to the general public. In the early 1960s, a total of more than 100000 turkey poults died from an unknown turkey "X" disease in England. The disease was associated with Brazilian groundnut meal contaminated by Aspergillus flavus, from which aflatoxins were first isolated from the fungal culture broth. Subsequent studies revealed that aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is the most potent carcinogen among all aflatoxins, affecting both humans and various animal species. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified AFB₁ as a Group 1 human carcinogen. Aflatoxins are present in a wide variety of food items, including cereals, nuts, fruits, and spices. A survey conducted in Japan between 2004 and 2006 revealed that peanut products, cacao products, peppers, and Job's tears were contaminated with aflatoxins. To reduce exposure, Japan has set a regulatory limit of 10 µg/kg for total aflatoxins [sum of AFB₁, aflatoxin B₂ (AFB₂), aflatoxin G₁ (AFG₁), and aflatoxin G₂ (AFG₂)] for all food items. The National Institute of Health Sciences has developed official analytical methods for determining aflatoxins in foods which are used for quarantine inspection of imported foods. In this symposium, the regulations and analytical methods for aflatoxins are introduced.