The Effective Sorting Technologies for Reducing Aflatoxins in Nuts and Dried Figs in Turkey

Background: RASFF notifications serve to determine the hazards responsible for food and feed. In case of determining risks to human health, the information provided to member countries via the rapid alarm system at the same time warned us to take the necessary measures. Objectives: In this research, the RASFF portal alerts over the last three years related to aflatoxins in hazelnut, fig, and peanut products were examined. The impact of image processing technologies on lowering the danger of aflatoxins in shelled hazelnuts and dried figs was also investigated, as well as Critical Control Points (CCPs) on aflatoxin hazard. Methods: The RASFF database was used in the RASFF Window portal and analyzed for aflatoxin alerts. ISO 22000:2018 was used for hazard and risk analysis for raw hazelnut, peanut, and fig products. Aflatoxin analyses were performed according to the AOAC 2000/991.31 method. Prior to and after hazelnut sorting methods, levels of aflatoxin were measured. Besides, aflatoxin contamination in peanuts harvesting in 2023 years from three local producers in Turkey was studied. Results: The number of RASFF notifications for hazelnuts, peanuts/groundnuts, dried figs, and their products for the period of 03/01/2020 to 01/06/2023 were 84, 283 and 173, respectively. As a result of HACCP implementation, especially for aflatoxin hazard management, optical-laser-manual sorting and aflatoxin detection using UV light stages are accepted as CCPs. When nuts were sorted using optical and laser systems were detected decreasing total aflatoxin levels. The mean value of Aflatoxin B1(AFB1) and total aflatoxins were reduced from 7.80±1.08 and 13.56±1.06 to 3.63±0.39 and 7.21±0.71, respectively. 79.16% of all sorted samples were found to comply with legal limits. Investigated peanut samples for aflatoxin B1 contents were found between 5.63 and 27.75 μg kg^-1 in 19.5%. Conclusion: The alerts based on aflatoxin contamination above legal limits have been carried on for nuts and dried figs. The physical sorting methods using optical selection and high-resolution laser sensor systems aflatoxin-contaminated nuts from healthy nuts applied for in-shell Turkish nut sorting were able to assess the quality of the batch studied, and the systems were assigned significantly effective to reduce aflatoxin contents. Food business operators in Turkey, which is among the countries exporting agricultural and food products to the European Union (EU), have tended to prefer the most advanced technologies. Efficacies of reduction of aflatoxin by different physical and other (such as imaging, X-ray and acoustic, audio signals and hyperspectral images of moldy natural nuts etc.) methods will be developed in the near future.