Determination of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Hazelnut, Roasted Hazelnut and Hazelnut Butter in Tehran in 2025; [سنجش میزان آفلاتوکسین B1 در فندق خام، بوداده و کره فندق عرضه شده در شهر تهران در سال ۱۴۰۴]



Eskandari S ; Karimi Sarzameleh M ; Ali Aghebat Bekheir M ; Mohammadi Y ; Karami L ; Bakhtiyari A
Source: Iranian Journal of Health and Environment Published:2026

Abstract

Background and Objective: Aflatoxin B1 is one of the most common mycotoxins in food. Edible nuts such as hazelnuts may be contaminated with these toxins due to cultivation and storage conditions. Consuming hazelnuts contaminated with aflatoxin can pose a serious threat to the health of consumers. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the levels of aflatoxin B1 contamination in raw hazelnuts, roasted hazelnuts, and hazelnut butter marketed in Tehran. Materials and Methods: In this study, 34 samples (12 raw hazelnuts, 12 roasted hazelnuts, and 10 hazelnut butter samples) were collected from retail outlets in Tehran. Following acid digestion, aflatoxin B1 concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). Results: The LOD and LOQ values were 0.016 and 0.05 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery of the method ranged from 12.89% to 22.79%. Aflatoxin B1 was detected in 75% of raw hazelnut samples, 33% of roasted hazelnut samples and 50% of hazelnut butter samples. The mean concentration of aflatoxin B1 in raw hazelnuts, roasted hazelnuts, and hazelnut butter was 0.70 ± 0.22, 0.06 ± 0.04, and 0.10 ± 0.04 µg/kg, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the amount of aflatoxin B1 in raw hazelnuts was significantly higher than the other two groups. Conclusion: These values were within the permissible limits of the Iranian national standard (8 µg/kg) and the European Union (5 µg/kg). Overall, the hazelnuts marketed in Tehran contained aflatoxin B1 concentrations below the permissible limits and did not pose a significant health risk to consumers. Copyright © 2026 Iranian Association of Environmental Health, and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Noncommercial uses of the work are permitted, provided the original work is properly cited.