Effect ofMoisture Contenton Aflatoxin B1 ProductioninWheat Flour SamplesCollected from Lahore, Pakistan

The present research was conducted to study the effects of moisture contents on the level ofaflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in wheat flour samples collected from different areas of Lahore. Total 30samples were collected from different locations and shops in Lahore-Pakistan, making sure thatthey have different levels ofmoisture contents. Thin layer chromatography technique was(TLC)selected to check the AFB1 contamination levelsin wheat flour samples. The AFB1 was detectedin 10 samples (33.33%), out ofwhich 7 samples (23.33%) had AFB1 levels within permissiblerange,i.e. 2 μg/kg, while 3 samples (10%) contained AFB1 levels i.e. 2.67 μg/kg, 2.93 μg/kg, 3.01μg/kg above permissible range. From the study it was concluded that the contaminated sampleshad greater moisture contents than that of non contaminated samples. Sample with 35% moisturecontent has 3.01 μg/kg AFB1 levels. The food stuff can be protected from AFB1 production byminimizing the moisture contents, the lesser the moisture content, the lesser will be the aflatoxinlevels in food samples.