High prevalence of liver cancer is caused by aflatoxins in developing countries. The consumption of AFs contaminated
foodstuff by humans or animals results in several carcinogenic diseases including liver cancer. Also, there is a need to know
base line levels of aflatoxin in crops to know when abnormal concentrations may occur, for example, from climate change.
Total aflatoxins were determined in 156 chili samples from Pakistan by reverse phase HPLC with florescence detection in
work undertaken in that country. The limits of detection and quantification for aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin G1 were 0.05 and 0.5
µg kg-1, while for aflatoxin G2 and aflatoxin B2 they were 0.1 and 0.60 µg kg-1. Total aflatoxins were determined in whole (n =
78) and ground (n = 78) chilies and the concentration were high in many cases. Aflatoxins were detected in 26 (33%) of whole
chilies: concentration range was from 0.00 to 81.5 µg kg-1. The equivalent values for ground chilies were 31 (40%) and 0.00 to
84.8 µg kg-1. The percentage of samples greater than the European Union statutory limit for AFB1 and total aflatoxins were 26
and 19%, respectively. © 2011 Friends Science Publishers