Chapter 3: Illustrative examples of application of HACCP to mycotoxin control

The examples presented in this chapter aim to illustrate the application of HACCP to mycotoxin control. It must be emphasised that these HACCP plans are only examples and are for guidance only. Every HACCP plan must be developed following the 12 tasks, and applying the seven principles of HACCP. It is unlikely that any two HACCP plans will be identical, even for the same product.

The following examples are presented:

Example	Mycotoxin	Product	Region
1	Aflatoxin	Yellow maize kernels, for use in feed mills, both domestic and in importing countries. Target levels of aflatoxin B₁ £ 50 or 20 µg/kg	South East Asia
2	Aflatoxin	Maize-based animal feed. Target level of aflatoxin B₁ dependent on the type of animal and its age: in the range of 5 to 50 µg/kg	South East Asia
3	Aflatoxin	Copra cake for animal feed. Target level of aflatoxin B₁ = 20 µg/kg	South East Asia
4	Aflatoxin	Peanut butter produced in a factory. Target level of aflatoxin B₁ = 5 µg/kg for local consumption, or the appropriate customer specification for exports	Southern Africa
5	Patulin	Apple juice. Target level of patulin £ 50 µg/L	South America
6	Aflatoxin	Pistachio nuts in shell, for export. Target level of total aflatoxin in range 4 to 20 µg/kg dependent on regulations in importing country, and whether further processing will take place	S. W. Asia

The target level of mycotoxin quoted is the regulatory limit in the country of origin, or the customer specification for exported products.

The examples have a strong aflatoxin bias, because this is the mycotoxin that is most widely regulated. Failure to meet the regulations will cause a food safety hazard in the country of origin and can cause loss of very important export markets, or be the major constraint in the promotion of an export market.

The format used for presenting the examples is a brief introduction followed by an outline of the 12 stages of HACCP, including a Description and Intended Use form, a Commodity Flow Diagram and a HACCP Plan worksheet.