AFLATOXIN B1 IN CORN: DIRECT VERIFICATION OF CONTAMINATION THROUGH AN AUTOMATIC COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM BASED ON THE FLUORESCENCE

“Aflaflesh” is a computer based instrument, designed combining a visual data acquisition system with a sophisticated software of acquisition and analysis of images. This system allows you to check on a representative sample (5/10 kg) contamination of corn by AFB1, using fluorescence under UV light when the grain is contaminated. To optimize the use of this control equipment were analyzed in two phases, a total of 80 samples comparing the results obtained by chemical analysis (Hplc) to those obtained using “Aflaflesh”. Initially the study was set to correlate the number of contaminated grains to the ppb read by the official method, Hplc; the second step was to correlate ppb values to the number of pixel of contaminated surface of the grains read by the “Aflaflesh” instrument. The apparatus was then calibrated through a statistical analysis of the results obtained, to allow a direct reading of the AFB1 concentrations in a short period of time (15 min) without the assistance of specialized personnel.