The Impact of Sun Drying on the Occurrence of Aflatoxin in Red Chilies

A major challenge in post-harvest protection of chilies is its rapid drying to prevent quality deterioration as a result of fungal contamination. The speed and efficiency of drying is crucial as the improper and prolonged drying may eventually initiate the buildup of mycotoxins. This research demonstrated levels of aflatoxin in samples at different stages of drying with the objective to assess the efficiency of the common practice of on-farm sun drying in Pakistan. The results indicated that there was no significant pre-harvest contamination of aflatoxins in chilies grown at different locations under study. Sun drying of the harvested chilies over a post drying stage reduced average moisture content from 69.70% to 9.87%, but also led to a gradual increase in the level of aflatoxins. The correlation between the observed increase in aflatoxin levels and the length of the drying period was found to be statistically significant (P<0.05) at all the locations investigated. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to optimizing the post-harvest drying process to minimize the levels of aflatoxin in chilies