Studying the amount of fatty acids and aflatoxin in traditional sweet samples of Yazd in 2018

Background & Aim: The consumption of food materials containing aflatoxin and saturated and trans fats can cause the occurrence of disease in human. The present study was done to evaluate the frequency of B1, B2, G1 and G2 aflatoxins and fatty acids in traditional sweet samples of Yazd city. Methods: 108 sweet samples including Louz, Baghlava and Ghotab were purchased from the shopping centers of Yazd city and transferred to the laboratory. Frequency of fatty acids and also different aflatoxins were studied using Gas Chromatography and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, respectively. Results: Baghlava had the highest amount of saturated fatty acids (28.76 ± 2.63%) and Louz had the lowest (27.34 ± 2.51%). Ghotab had the highest amount of trans fatty acids (2.11 ± 0.18%) and Baghlava had the lowest (0.84 ± 0.05%). The highest amounts of B1 and G1 aflatoxins were found in Louz (0.78 ± 0.065 ppb) and Baghlava (0.39 ± 0.022 ppb) and the highest amounts of B2 and G2 aflatoxins were found in Louz (0.32 ± 0.018 ppb) and Baghlava (0.15 ± 0.011 ppb) samples, respectively. Conclusion: Amount of aflatoxin in samples were lower than rate announced by the Iranian Institute of Standards (15 ppb) but considering the high content of saturated and trans fatty acids and the high consumption of traditional sweet, the use of high-quality raw materials is recommended to reduce the amount of harmful fatty acids and mycotoxins.