peanuts. Aflatoxins were reduced by up to 94% using CL, a Haitian
spirit containing 50% ethanol that is obtainable even in remote
regions of Haiti where laboratory-grade solvents are unavailable or
too costly. After oil pressing and extraction, our data indicate that,
on average across a broad range of contamination rates, peanut oil
can be produced with only 0.5% of the aflatoxin concentrations
found in the peanuts before pressing. Our approach could be one of
multiple practices to re-direct contaminated foods to a safe, alternative
product in resource-limited countries. In areas where aflatoxin
contamination is high and poverty is widespread, further
exploration of simple and accessible alternative uses of tainted
foods will be essential in limiting exposure to aflatoxin.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. Patricia Wolff and the organization
Meds & Food for Kids in Haiti for their generous logistical
support. Our gratitude is also due to the Haitian farmers who
provided samples with great patience and Michael Komrowski for
his assistance in measuring aflatoxins in maize samples. This
research received support from the US AID Title XII Peanut
Collaborative Research Support Program (Project #COR-158), the
US AID Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Laboratory at the University
of Georgia (Project #UF-204), and the US Borlaug Fellows in
Global Food Security Program at the Purdue Center for Global Food
Security (Grant #205786).