The occurrence of aflatoxins in mustard and mustard products.

Natural occurrence of aflatoxins at concentrations of 750, 87 and 1420 micrograms/kg was recorded in 44, 33 and 80 samples out of 100 samples each of seeds, oil and cakes of mustard respectively. Out of 17 species of fungi isolated from mustard seeds, percentage incidence of the Aspergillus flavus group was maximum during monsoon and summer. Twenty-five per cent of isolates (out of 1143 isolates screened) of the A. flavus group were toxigenic, producing different components of aflatoxins in varying concentrations.