Aflatoxins contaminate a wide range of agricultural products. They occur mostly in nuts, peanuts butter and oleaginous seeds, but can contaminate also cereals, milk, and cheese.
Aflatoxins are mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, and the most common naturally are aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2. Especially, aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is the most toxic compound, being related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in humans. There is an increasing awareness of the hazards to both human and animal health of aflatoxins present in food and feed. They are listed as group I carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, 1993). Aflatoxins are regulated in many countries and legal limits have been established by the European Commission for the different compounds and different food commodities.