Todd Moody wrote:

>Aflatoxin contamination is no more inevitable for peanuts than it
>is for other nuts.  All are susceptible, depending on storage
>conditions....

....Dampness is conducive to the aspergillus mold,
>which produces the aflatoxin.  Aspergillus has no special
>preference for peanuts; it's just that peanuts are sometimes
>stored in enormous bins under damp conditions, which are ideal
>for aspergillus.  But the same thing is true for other nuts,
>unfortunately.



I'm interrested in learning more about the nut/ aflatoxin issue.  I've
always thought that peanuts and corn contain more aflatoxin on average than
other nuts/ grains because they are much more likely to be stored under the
conditions you mentioned.  With peanuts, maybe this is because they are
produced in enormous quantities relative most nuts so that conditions are
harder to control.  With corn, I would assume that its high moisture content
before and during drying aides mold growth, as opposed to other grains which
are mostly dry upon harvesting.  Maybe this type of moisture factor plays a
role in the peanut mold problem, in that a peanut is a legume, and legumes
in general contain more moisture than nuts upon harvesting (?).  Anyway, do
you know of any good sources for info. on this issue?

B. Lischer