Aflatoxins encompass a structurally similar group of naturally occurring, fungal-elaborated poisons that have been strongly implicated in disease and death in men and animals. Consequently, there is a growing awareness of the significant dangers associated with these substances. Remedial measures are more and more directed toward concepts of aflatoxin management that include an early detection and subsequent diversion of contaminated commodities from the food and feed supply, and practical techniques of decontamination. The present study was designed to evaluate the accuracy of a rapid method (SAM) for the early detection of aflatoxins and the mechanism by which a phyllosilicate (HSCAS) inactivates aflatoxins in situ. Several peanut cultivars grown under environmental conditions known to induce the production of interfering compounds were analyzed using the SAM-AZ test. The results compared to those obtained with an established HPLC method. No false positives or negatives were obtained. The SA -AZ test was also evaluated for the semi-quantitation of aflatoxin levels in peanuts products. Samples with a wide array of aflatoxin levels previously determined by HPLC were utilized. These levels were successfully approximated using the SAM-AZ test. In the second segment of our work, we studied the mechanism by which the phyllosilicate HSCAS tightly binds and alters the carcinogenicity of aflatoxins. Structure activity analyses utilizing compounds with one or more of the functional groups in common with aflatoxin demonstrated that the strong binding involved (?-dicarbonyl or ?-dilactone groups of aflatoxins and related compounds. Infrared analyses of solid AFB[1] on HSCAS and of the complex AFB[1]-HSCAS indicated a formation of a chelate between carbonyl groups of AFB[1] and metal ions of HSCAS. X-ray diffraction analyses of HSCAS and the complex AFB[1]-HSCAS demonstrated that the chelation was a surface reaction.
