The EU limit is 4 ppb total. Most origins can hit it; far fewer can hit it consistently. What separates the two comes down to decisions made before harvest.
Groundnut is the commodity where a single number decides whether a container is accepted or destroyed. For the European Union that number is 4 ppb total aflatoxin — among the strictest limits in world food trade.
Contamination starts in the field
Aspergillus flavus colonises pods that are stressed during the final weeks before harvest, particularly in drought. By the time the crop reaches a warehouse, the ceiling on quality is already set. No amount of sorting creates a clean lot from a contaminated one; sorting only removes the worst kernels.
What actually controls it
Drying to 8% moisture quickly after lifting. Storing off the floor on pallets, not against walls. Colour-sorting to pull discoloured and shrivelled kernels, which carry most of the toxin. And testing on a proper sampling plan — a single grab sample from one bag tells you close to nothing, because contamination is never evenly distributed.
What to ask your supplier
Ask which laboratory tested the lot, how many incremental samples were drawn, and whether the certificate covers the exact lot being shipped or an earlier one. Those three questions separate suppliers who manage aflatoxin from suppliers who hope.
