The Effect of Edible Coating Containing Plant Extract on Inhibiting the Growth of Aflatoxin in Nuts

Nutrition science has proven a great deal of benefits to nuts. In addition to providing a healthy diet, these foods can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (1). Application of nuts is not only limited to health, but also plays an important role in the field of export and economic prosperity. It seems that the health quality of plant seeds such as pistachios and almonds has been effective in reducing the global market share of these products (2). Annually, 20% of food products produced in the world are contaminated with mycotoxins by fungal toxins.  Aflatoxins are secondary fungal metabolites produced by toxic species of Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi (3). These compounds are highly toxic and carcinogenic and are known as mutagenic substances in the world. These carcinogenic compounds are produced by some species of Aspergillus at various stages, including harvesting, transporting, or storage (4). However, the most important factor in nuts contamination with aflatoxin is exposure to fungal contamination in the garden. So far, several methods have been used to detect these contaminants, including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and immunoaffinity 2 columns widely used in the detection of pistachio aflatoxin and other agricultural products in the research and commercial fields (5).