Abstract
All food used for human and animal consumption should be free of contaminants, the result of which would be the elimination or reduction of diseases, intoxication and even death (FAO 2002). Economic losses also would be avoided (Cardwell et al. 2001). Several strategies such as preventing contamination during food production, processing and storage should be strictly adhered to in order to achieve these objectives. In the case of natural contaminants such as the mycotoxins (International Agency for Research on Cancer 2002), which are substances produced by fungi in grains and food, detoxification has been the main strategy without full success. The destruction of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) that is contained in cereals and oil seeds for human and animal consumption has been pursued since its discovery in 1960 when it was found in Brazilian peanuts (Goldblatt 1968). The AFB1 has a positive correlation with hepatic cancer, acute and chronic intoxication, and death in humans and animals (Azziz-Baumgartner et al. 2005). Kwashiorkor and Reye's syndrome diseases in children also have been related to the ingestion of AFB1 (Task Force Report 2003).
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I thank Mrs. Lee Edwards Pepper for English editing of the manuscript.
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Guzmán-de-Peña, D. (2009). The Destruction of Aflatoxins in Corn by “Nixtamalización”. In: Rai, M., Varma, A. (eds) Mycotoxins in Food, Feed and Bioweapons. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00725-5_3
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