Fluorescence in pistachio nuts contaminated with aflatoxin

Bright greenish‐yellow fluorescence under long wave ultraviolet light was observed on the shells of 7% of the nuts in samples from 46 aflatoxin contaminated commercial lots of Iranian pistachio nuts. Kernels from the fluorescent nuts contained 50% of the aflatoxin in the samples. No aflatoxin was found in any of the shells. When kernels and shells were cultured, toxicogenic fungi grew from only 4% of the shells and 21% of the kernels from fluorescent nuts and from 9% of the shells and 15% of the kernels from nonfluorescent nuts.