Edible vegetable oils play a significant role in the Sri Lankan diet. They are added to curries and used for frying food during cooking or used in food processing industries. It is preferred over animal oils due to health concerns. The demand for coconut oil has increased over the last decade with increasing populations.
In Sri Lanka, coconut oil is used as a major cooking oil. 15-20 % of fresh annual coconut production is used for oil production. Virgin coconut oil production is emerging in the country as the demand for coconut oil is increasing worldwide and the health benefits of it became well-known.
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Recently, Out of the 125 coconut oil samples taken by the Consumer Affairs Authority in Sri Lanka, 55 samples tested to be free of the carcinogen Aflatoxin.
But in some cases, it is confirmed that some of the samples are having higher levels of aflatoxins.
Aflatoxin contamination has become a global health issue. Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of several species of fungi such as Asperfillus flavus, A. prasiticus and A. nomius. Out of about 20 aflatoxins identified, mainly aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), G2 (AFG2) and M1 (AFM1) are of public health importance. Because they frequently contaminate food intended for human consumption
(Dors et al., 2011; Filazi & Sireli, 2013; Tajkarimi, Shojaee,Yazdanpanah, & Ibrahim, 2011).
Recently, the national standards-setting organization in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI), has taken actions to control the aflatoxin levels in coconut oil in Sri Lanka. However, it is not mandatory to obey these guidelines or standards by all coconut oil producers and importers.
(Sri Lanka Standards Institution, 2019)
In a study conducted by researchers from the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Pharmacology, total aflatoxin level in samples was determined using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and the positive samples. Out of the 32 coconut oil samples, 12 (37.5%), which included 5 brands and 7 unbranded products, had total aflatoxin contamination and aflatoxin B1 contamination in the ranges of 2.25–72.70 μg/kg and 1.76–60.92 μg/kg, respectively. Out of these 12 samples, 10 and 11 samples exceeded the European Union's maximum permissible levels applicable for total aflatoxins (4 μg/kg) and aflatoxin B1 (2 μg/kg), respectively. All positive coconut oil samples were regular coconut oils, which had been extracted from copra (dried coconut kernel). Aflatoxin contamination in other vegetable oil types and virgin coconut oil was below the limit of detection of the ELISA (0.8 μg/kg). All positive coconut oil samples contained aflatoxins B1, B2, and G1, with aflatoxin B1 being the predominant type, but aflatoxin G2 was not detected in any of the samples. High levels of aflatoxin contamination in coconut oil may have resulted from improper practices during the copra production that facilitates toxigenic fungal growth on copra. Our results suggest that certain coconut oil products available in Sri Lanka may pose a health risk to consumers.
References: Occurrence of aflatoxins in edible vegetable oils in Sri Lanka, Nuwan B. Karunarathna, Chandima J. Fernando,b, D.M.S. Munasinghec , Ruchika Fernando
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