NutriNuts: Mitigation of aflatoxins occurrence in Ethiopian peanuts used in therapeutic food products to reduce malnutrition in Africa

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Peanuts are contaminated by fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus that produce carcinogenic compounds called aflatoxins. Due to high aflatoxin contamination in Ethiopian peanuts, local processors, such as our partner Hilina Enriched PLC (HI), are forced to import up to 50% of their peanuts from abroad at a greater cost. HI would like to secure, use and protect their local peanut supply chain against aflatoxins. This project will develop tools, from preharvest to processing, with the goal of achieving nearly 100% of Hilinas’ peanut supply sourced from local farmers. To achieve this goal, the innovative approach will include: (i) Pre-harvest: agronomic recommendations/training for farmers to increase yield and reduce aflatoxin risks, (ii) post-harvest: development of a vertical tray home-drying system and replacement of the current “soaking” methodology with home-made mechanical shelling devices, (iii) development of protection during transport and (iv) development of new peanut-based product lines with optimised sorting and recycling of the peanut waste. The project will increase the acquisition an increased supply of locally produced high quality (low toxin) peanuts for HI. This will increase the safety of the product, matching UK regulations, and provide potenial opportunities for export.