- Apr 24, 2018
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This may have been covered here but being that my family and I always deal with this every harvest and I thought I would post it here.
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize, corn, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The main fungi that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing fungi can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and during storage.
It tends to be more prevalent during dry years. In high concentrations it is deadly to cattle , hogs, and deer among others. Even in very low concentrations it is deadly to birds and small mammals.
Just a heads up. Unscrupulous people sometimes pass these grains off to people.
If you buy your grains from mainstream reputable companies than there show be no problems. The tests for aflatoxins have become very cheap and accurate. Any decent company will test every load that they receive.
I post this mostly for people who may buy from a local farmer, farmers market, or small grain supplier. The fact is that grain can come into a facility with little or no aflatoxin and after sitting in a bin become VERY toxic.
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize, corn, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The main fungi that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing fungi can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and during storage.
It tends to be more prevalent during dry years. In high concentrations it is deadly to cattle , hogs, and deer among others. Even in very low concentrations it is deadly to birds and small mammals.
Just a heads up. Unscrupulous people sometimes pass these grains off to people.
If you buy your grains from mainstream reputable companies than there show be no problems. The tests for aflatoxins have become very cheap and accurate. Any decent company will test every load that they receive.
I post this mostly for people who may buy from a local farmer, farmers market, or small grain supplier. The fact is that grain can come into a facility with little or no aflatoxin and after sitting in a bin become VERY toxic.
