Twelve hundred rice samples consisting of paddy (675) and milled rice (525) were collected from 20
states across India. These samples were assessed for Aspergillus spp. infection on selective medium and
aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by indirect competitive ELISA. In this investigation, Aspergillus flavus contamination
dominated in all the seed samples. The other major contaminants were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus
ochraceus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Out of 1200 rice samples, 67.8% showed AFB1 ranging from 0.1 to
308.0 mg/kg. All the paddy samples from Chattishgarh, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu showed AFB1
contamination. Milled rice grains from different states showed below the permissible levels of AFB1
(average 0.5–3.5 mg/kg). Eighty-two percent of samples from open storage that were exposed to rain
showed AFB1 contamination followed by one-year-old seed. Out of 1200 samples, 2% showed AFB1
contamination above the permissible limits (>30 mg/kg). This is the first comprehensive report of aflatoxin
contamination in rice across 20 states in India.