Aflatoxin: how mould on groundnuts, maize and chillies affects the liver | CION Cancer Clinics

Not reliably. Visible mould, shrivelled or discoloured groundnuts and a bitter or musty taste are warning signs, and such food should be thrown away. But aflatoxin can be present in food that looks normal, which is why dry storage and buying from a trusted source matter as much as checking by eye.

Ordinary boiling, frying and roasting reduce it only partly. The poison is stable at normal cooking heat, so cooking cannot rescue food that is already mouldy. The protection comes earlier, from keeping grains, nuts and spices dry and discarding anything that looks or tastes wrong.

Refined oil from a regulated brand goes through processing that removes most aflatoxin. Loose, unrefined oil pressed from poor-quality nuts is a greater concern. If you use local pressed oil, buy it from a mill you trust that uses clean, dry nuts, and do not store it for long in a warm place.

You do not need to stop. Well-stored, good-quality groundnuts are a useful food. Be strict about discarding any that look, smell or taste wrong. More important still is staying under follow-up with your hepatologist or physician and keeping up with liver cancer surveillance if you have been advised to have it.

A related form of the poison can appear in milk when the mother or the animal has eaten contaminated food. The amounts in regulated milk are usually small. The practical answer is the same for every household: store food and cattle feed dry, and do not feed mouldy grain to animals.

Research laboratories can measure markers of recent exposure, but this is not a routine test and it does not predict cancer in one person. No doctor will ask for it as part of normal care. If you are worried about liver cancer, the useful tests are hepatitis B and C checks and a liver ultrasound where advised.

Families who grow and store their own groundnuts or maize can eat more of a single batch, so good drying and storage matter more for them. Breathing mouldy grain dust is another concern for workers. Our page on farming and liver cancer risk covers work exposures in more detail.

Start with a simple hepatitis B and hepatitis C blood test if you have never had one, and tell your doctor about any family history of liver cancer or cirrhosis. If you are not sure who to see, call the CION helpline and someone will point you to the right clinic.