It was in 1960 when 100,000 turkeys in England began to fall ill and die, the disease was diagnosed as turkey disease that not only turkeys were affected, but also ducklings and young pheasants, which had a high mortality rate. Going deeper it was discovered that the vector of the disease was a peanut imported from Brazil and eventually, with intense effort, it was discovered that the causative agent was a species of mold called Aspergillus flavus. They also discovered that the hepatotoxic product secreted by mold is one of the major toxins and thus aflatoxins were brought to light. Furthermore, the discovery that aflatoxins were carcinogenic and immunosuppressive raised great concern over their presence in human and animal food and feed, respectively. The year between 1960 and 1975 has been labeled a "mycotoxin gold rush" because so many chemical prospectors became involved in the search for mycotoxins. Slowly it was discovered that aflatoxin is not only formed due to poor storage but also foods could be contaminated before harvesting and during processing. Major crops such as peanuts, figs, corn, cereals, rice etc. have been classified as high risk foods for this toxin. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe major aflatoxins have been classified as B1, B2, G1, and G2 based on their fluorescence activity under ultraviolet light and mobility in thin-layer chromatography. Aflatoxin B1 is the most toxic and occurs at the highest level. With strong concern that aflatoxin was carcinogenic, the JECFA (Joint FAO/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives) in 1987, at its thirty-first meeting, evaluated aflatoxin and attempted to determine the potential dose . Due to the uncertainty of the data, the Committee could not determine the dose of exposure to aflatoxin for liver cancer. At the twenty-sixth meeting of CCFAC (the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants), in 1994, CCFAC asked JEFCA to provide estimates of the potency of aflatoxin and in response to this request JECFA at its forty-ninth meeting in 1997 withdrew the conclusion relating to the risk assessment of aflatoxin as follows: -Aflatoxins are considered carcinogenic to the human liver and B1 is the most potent. The potency of aflatoxins in people carrying hepatitis B is high and therefore reducing the intake of a diet that is likely to be contaminated with aflatoxins will reduce the chance of contracting liver cancer for a high-risk population. Hepatitis B vaccination will reduce the risk of liver cancer exposure to aflatoxins. Two different hypothetical dose standards for aflatoxin contamination have been studied: one is 10 mg per kilogram and the other is 20 mg per kilogram. Populations with low hepatitis B surface antigen risk and low average aflatoxin consumption (less than 1 ng per kilogram of body weight per day) are unlikely to show large differences in population risks. On the other hand, populations in which hepatitis B surface antigen is positive and dietary aflatoxin intake is high would benefit from a reduction in aflatoxin intake. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Customize essayTaking aflatoxins can be.