THE HEALTH Services have blocked another consignment of pistachio nuts from Iran at Limassol port due to the high level of a carcinogenic substance found in the nuts. This is the second batch of pistachio nuts, totalling 11,000kg, from Iran to be blocked in the last week for containing carcinogenic substances.
The Health Services found levels of aflatoxin in the pistachios that went beyond the accepted limits set by EU regulations. The Services reported both batches to the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.
The second batch of pistachios was without shells, unlike the first. The company responsible for importing both batches must either destroy the products or send them back to Iran. According to Phileleftheros yesterday, the importer had certificates from Iranian authorities showing the nuts to be clean of carcinogens.
According to the World Health Organisation, aflatoxins are among the most potent mutagenic substances known with extensive evidence suggesting that they can induce liver cancer. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says the chemical compound aflatoxin B1 is considered to be the most potent carcinogen.
Aflatoxins are produced by fungi which grow on certain foodstuffs, most commonly groundnuts, dried fruit, tree nuts, spices and a range of cereals like maize.
“Production of aflatoxin is optimal at relatively high temperatures, so contamination is most acute and widespread in warm, humid climates,” said the FAO’s Ezzeddine Boutrif on the FAO website.
Mould growth and aflatoxin production in pistachio nuts usually occurs in the kernels before harvest, creating huge problems for pistachio-producing countries. Up to 13 species of fungi were isolated from pistachio kernels from orchards in Iran and 14 species from orchards in the United States in the early 1990s, said Boutrif. In 1997, the EU banned pistachio imports from Iran because of high levels of aflatoxin in some shipments.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, the EU introduced regulations for aflatoxins in1998 at levels considered to be as low as reasonably achievable. The maximum level for total aflatoxins in unprocessed almonds, hazelnts and pistachios currently stands at 4mg/kg. There are proposals floating around to create a worldwide maximum level of 8 or 10mg/kg.
The Foodqualitynews.com website reported that the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) sent EU inspectors to Iran to check on food safety and manufacturing practices after an increasing number of border rejections of Iranian consignments. During the FVO investigation, from January to November 2005, there were 425 notifications to the rapid alert warning system relating to illegal levels of aflatoxins in Iran’s pistachios.
