Aflatoxin risk management in commercial groundnut products in Malawi (Sub-Saharan Africa): a call for a more socially responsible industry

This study was performed as a follow-up to a study from 2013, to assess the impact of management interventions on aflatoxin incidence and levels in commercial groundnut products in Malawi. Sixty-seven samples of commercial groundnut products were analyzed for aflatoxin using a fluorometric method. Total aflatoxin levels ranged from 1.5 to 1200 μg/kg in raw groundnuts and 83–820 μg/kg in groundnut flour from vendors. In branded groundnut flour and peanut butter from supermarkets, aflatoxin levels ranged from 13 to 670 μg/kg and 1.3 to 180 μg/kg, respectively. About 93, 88, 78 and 72% of the samples analyzed contained aflatoxin levels above regulatory limit used in Malawi (3 μg/kg), EU (4 μg/kg), most developing countries (10 μg/kg), and the USA (20 μg/kg), respectively. Despite much effort, aflatoxin levels remain persistently high in commercial groundnut. Considering the difficulty of achieving an efficient government regulation system due to resource constraint, the authors recommend the promotion of a socially responsible groundnut processing industry that has consumer welfare as its central feature.