Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of a group of toxic compounds produced by certain molds, especially Aspergillus flavus, that contaminate stored food supplies such as animal feed and peanuts.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun toxicology Any of a family of mycotoxins, produces by molds of the Aspergillus genus, that can be toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic; typically found as contaminants of animal food or peanuts.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a potent carcinogen from the fungus Aspergillus; can be produced and stored for use as a bioweapon

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin A(spergillus) flā(vus), species name (aspergillus + Latin flāvus, yellow; see flavo–) + toxin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From (A)spergillus (fla)vus + toxin.

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Examples

  • Iraq also loaded a little-known fungal poison called aflatoxin, which may cause cancer, and it experimented with infectious viruses.

    His Secret Weapon 2008

  • Some synthesize deadly toxins that can cause cancer and other diseases for example, species of Aspergillus produce a carcinogen called aflatoxin, and Fusarium moniliforme produces another called fumonisin.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • Some synthesize deadly toxins that can cause cancer and other diseases for example, species of Aspergillus produce a carcinogen called aflatoxin, and Fusarium moniliforme produces another called fumonisin.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • GOLBERG: This is a guy who weaponized aflatoxin, which is a weapon that has no military value.

    CNN Transcript Oct 16, 2002 2002

  • Mngadi said the health department was extremely concerned over the effect of long-term exposure to aflatoxin, which is a cancer-causing toxin.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2001

  • Food & Wine picks best places for gooey cheesy sandwich classic Anti-cheese billboards upstate use scare tactics to shock dairy lovers In early matchup, New York and Wisconsin cheddars vie to see who's the big cheese Toxin found in Chinese milk; found high levels of aflatoxin, which is caused by mold

    NYDN Rss 2012

  • Because of lax or nonexistent regulation, 4.5 billion people in developing countries are chronically exposed to vast amounts of this toxin, called aflatoxin -- often hundreds of times higher than safe levels.

    unknown title 2009

  • One type of mycotoxin is aflatoxin, which is most prevalent in corn, cotton, peanuts and tree nuts.

    CattleNetwork 2009

  • Aspergillus parasiticus, commonly known as aflatoxin, is a carginogenic mold that is found on improperly stored grains and peanuts.

    NaturalNews.com 2008

  • Storing nuts and seeds in their shells and protecting them from heat, moisture, light, and pest damage reduces the chances of oils becoming rancid and prevents the growth of poisonous molds such as aflatoxin (section 2.10).

    14. Saving seeds for planting 1991

Comments

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  • “The fungus Aspergillus flavus, for example, which grows on ground-nuts, produces aflatoxin, a chemical which not only attacks the liver in animals but provokes the formation of rare liver tumours. No more than a single dose of aflatoxin is needed to set in train a steadily progressive liver disease.�?

    —Michael Howell and Peter Ford, The Ghost Disease, and Twelve Other Stories of Detective Work in the Medical Field, (New York: Penguin Books, 1985), 363

    September 11, 2008

  • A big threat in agriculture, especially, as you suggest, in nut processing. (I remember from my peanut butter cup days.)

    September 11, 2008