Status of aflatoxin B1 in rice and rice products from Jhapa district of Nepal

The occurrence of aflatoxin in staple food products is a serious threat to public health. This study aimed to determine the level of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination in rice and rice products produced in Jhapa, a major rice-producing area of the country. A total of 108 samples including paddy, rice and rice products (4 varieties each) were collected and the amount of AFB1 in them was analyzed using Bio-Shield B1 5 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test. The major varieties of paddy cultivated were Ranjit (26.61%), Sarana (22.22%), NR-2167 (13.89%) and Sukkha variety (5.56%). Fungal attack, color change and unwanted odor were major problems incurred during paddy storage while fungal attack and appearance of lumps were major problems during rice storage. About 76.92% of respondents were unaware of good agricultural practices and 87% of them had no idea about aflatoxins. Through ELISA, it was found that paddy, rice and rice products had a mean AFB1 content of 1.43, 1.41 and 1.64 μg/kg respectively, and the contamination levels differed significantly among different varieties of the samples. Ranjit variety of paddy, rice as well as beaten rice had the highest level of contamination among paddy, rice and rice product samples respectively. All the samples had AFB1 concentrations below the standards set by Nepal Government as well as World Health Organization. But 1 sample of Sukkha paddy, 3 samples of Ranjit paddy, 1 sample of Mansoori rice, 3 samples of Ranjit rice, 3 samples of Ranjit beaten rice and 3 samples of Mansoori puffed rice had AFB1 above the European Union standard.