Occurrence of aflatoxins in nuts and peanut butter imported to UAE.

Nuts are an important food group that contributes to maintaining health; however, they can be a source of exposure to aflatoxins. This study was conducted from 2017 to 2021 to assess the incidence of aflatoxins in nuts and nut products imported to the UAE from 57 countries. Associations between container type and processing technique and aflatoxin levels were also analyzed. A total of 5401 samples of pistachios, peanuts, peanut butter, and mixed nuts were examined using HPLC-FLD analysis in conjunction with immunoaffinity cleanup. In nuts, non-conformity was detected in samples imported from 32 different countries. Mean aflatoxin values for the non-compliant samples ranged from 81.0 to 92.7 µg/kg in pistachios, peanuts, and mixed nuts. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between mean aflatoxin levels in samples of peanut butter (29.3 µg/kg) compared to the other types of nuts. Nuts packed in containers made of fabric material had the highest mean aflatoxin levels of 108.1 µg/kg, while 29.7 µg/kg was the lowest mean level and was detected in nuts packed in glass. Ground samples had the highest aflatoxin levels (158.9 µg/kg) among processed products. This report will be valuable as a reference document in developing approaches to control nut importation and for establishing procedures that prevent food safety risks due to aflatoxin exposure. A need was underlined for the regulating authority to audit companies importing nuts, ensure safe practices are in place, and establish standards to minimize contamination and prevent the need for product rejection at the border.

Quality of Honey Imported into the United Arab Emirates.

This study was performed to assess the physicochemical quality characteristics of honey imported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via Dubai ports between 2017 and 2021. There were 1330 samples analyzed for sugar components, moisture, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content, free acidity, and diastase number. Of the honey tested, 1054 samples complied with the Emirates honey standard, but 276 (20.8%) did not; this was due to non-compliance with one or more quality parameters, thus suggesting some level of adulteration, improper storage or inappropriate heat treatment. For the non-compliant samples, the average values of sucrose content ranged from 5.1 to 33.4%; the sum of glucose and fructose ranged from 19.6 to 88.1%; the moisture content varied from 17.2 to 24.6%; the HMF occurred in a range from 83.2 to 663.0 mg/kg, and the acidity varied from 52 to 85 meq/kg. The non-compliant honey samples were grouped according to their country of origin. India was shown to be the country having the highest percentage of non-compliant samples at 32.5% and Germany had the lowest at 4.5%. This study emphasized that the inspection of honey samples traded internationally should involve physicochemical analysis. A comprehensive inspection of honey at the Dubai ports should reduce incidents of adulterated products being imported.