Aflatoxin B₁ in senna pods from field to storage in Tamil Nadu, India

Senna, a medicinal herb, is highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, which often limits the export value of the final products due to the regulatory limits of importing countries. Presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁) was investigated in 229 senna pod samples at various stages from field to storage over three years. Higher incidence of AFB₁ was revealed during the late harvest stage with a mean level of 52.4 µg/kg and a range of LOD-206 µg/kg. Out of 48 late harvest samples, 37 exceeded the AFFB₁ limit of 2 µg/kg. In contrast, the majority of preharvest samples showed lower levels of AFB₁ (1.0 µg/kg). During drying, increase in the mean AFB₁ level to 4 µg/kg was observed and it could further increase to 18.1 μg/kg in storage. These results highlight the status of aflatoxin contamination in senna pods and emphasise the importance of implementing good agricultural practices in senna cultivation to mitigate AFB₁ contamination.