Aflatoxins in sugarcane production chain: what could be the source?

Reports on the occurrence of aflatoxin producing fungi and aflatoxins in the sugarcane value chain (juice, milled sugarcane, stalk, jaggery and dried yeast samples) have been published in some countries. Aspergillus parasiticus was identified as the main species isolated from the sugarcane system. However, with the introduction of polyphasic taxonomy, new species have been described in the Aspergillus section Flavi and a recent report revealed that Aspergillus novoparasiticus and Aspergillus arachidicola (to a lesser extent) were the main species isolated in samples throughout the sugarcane processing chain. This review aims to highlight the main reports of aflatoxigenic species and aflatoxins in sugarcane and discuss the significance of these species on its production chain.