Abstract
Aflatoxins (AFs) are genotoxic carcinogens and are a growing concern in peanuts and peanut products. This study aims to impact of different extraction processes on the transition of AFs from peanuts to oils. Peanuts were collected from nine different factories in Osmaniye, Turkey, during the period of November 2017-May 2018. While no aflatoxin G(1) (AFG(1)) and aflatoxin G(2) (AFG(2)) were detected in peanuts, aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) and aflatoxin B(2) (AFB(2)) were determined in all peanut samples at levels varying from 26.7 to 234.7 µg kg(-1) and from 4.44 to 44.0 µg kg(-1), respectively. No AFs were quantified in oils obtained by the industrial application method. The ratios of AFB(1) transitions to oils obtained by solvent extraction, cold pressing of roasted peanuts and cold pressing methods were 9.0-79.8%, 11.3-75.3% and 9.3-77.6%, respectively. The concentrations of AFB(2) in oils obtained by solvent extraction, cold pressing of roasted peanuts and cold pressing methods were 0.46-17.2 µg kg(-1), 0.84-33.0 µg kg(-1) and 1.02-36.3 µg kg(-1), respectively. This is the first demonstration of the impact of different extraction processes on the transition of AFs from peanuts to oils.