Italy bans soybean imports from Serbia due to high aflatoxin levels

A batch of soybeans produced in Serbia has been returned by Italian border authorities after high levels of aflatoxins were found in it, posing a significant risk to human health, according to the official website of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) between the Member States of the European Union. Samples from the batch were taken on January 23, and they found aflatoxin B1 in excess of 5 times the permitted level – 10.4 micrograms per kilogram, with an acceptable level of up to 2 micrograms per kilogram. The amount of all aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) in the batch averaged 11.7 micrograms per kilogram and a maximum permissible level of 4 micrograms per kilogram. Since the beginning of the year alone, 7 cases of aflatoxins in soybeans and products from its processing, produced in Serbia, have been registered in the RASFF. Previously, Italy had been denied access ...