Relationship betweenAspergillus flavus growth fat acidity,and aflatoxin content in peanuts

The influence of fungal growth, under standardized conditions, on fat acidity in large-seeded Virginia-type peanuts inoculated withAspergillus flavus and relationships between fat acidity and aflatoxin, a toxic metabolite produced byA. flavus were studied. Fat acidity increased quadratically and was highly correlated with visible fungal growth. A lag in aflatoxin production in relation to fat acidity increase was noted; fat acidity reached 60 mg KOH per 100 g kernels before aflatoxin became detectable. This relationship suggests that a rapid method of determining fat acidity might be used to sereen peanut samples for the possible presence of aflatoxin. A rapid method of determining fat acidity is cited and compared with the official A.O.A.C. method.