Aflatoxin Control for Turkish Hazelnuts, Pistachios and Dried Figs
Aflatoxins are produced by Aspergillus moulds and are the single most important safety issue in the nut and dried fruit trade. Turkey is the leading supplier of hazelnuts and dried figs and an important source of pistachios, and all three products have featured in EU official control measures at different times.
Why aflatoxin is so hard to measure
Contamination is extremely uneven. In a lot of dried figs or nuts, a very small number of units may carry almost all of the toxin. Two samples from the same lot can give very different results, and a sample that is too small will usually show a reassuring result whether or not the lot is safe.
This is why EU rules specify sampling in detail. Commission Regulation (EC) No 401/2006 sets the number of incremental samples and the aggregate sample weight by lot size, and requires the whole aggregate to be homogenised before analysis.
Limits differ by product and by use
Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets maximum levels for aflatoxin B1 and for total aflatoxins. For several nuts and dried fruits, it sets one limit for product intended for direct human consumption and a higher limit for product that will be sorted or physically treated before use. Buyers should state in the contract which use applies and check the limits in force, because they are amended from time to time.
Where the risk is created
- Wet weather during harvest and drying, particularly for hazelnuts dried on open yards
- Insect damage, which lets moulds enter the fruit or kernel
- Figs that drop and stay on the ground too long
- Slow drying and storage at high moisture
- Mixing of sorted and unsorted product
Controls at Turkish processors
Dried fig processors sort figs by hand under ultraviolet light, because figs contaminated with aflatoxin frequently show a bright greenish-yellow fluorescence. Hazelnut and pistachio processors rely on moisture control, optical and manual sorting, and lot testing. In an audit, we look at how sorting is verified, how rejected material is segregated, and whether lot testing is based on representative samples.
What we recommend to buyers
- Specify aflatoxin limits, intended use and sampling method in the contract
- Use independent sampling rather than supplier-drawn samples for high-risk lots
- Test the finished, packed lot that will actually be shipped
- Seal and retain a counter sample for disputes
- Audit sorting and segregation at new suppliers
- Check the current annex of Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 before shipping to the EU