Application of the elisa test in the identification of aflatoxin in pistachio

Pistacia vera L. was enabled successfully to grow and spread in south-easternAnatolia due to its own ecological properties. Because of a high price of Pistaciavera L. in domestic and exterior markets it has become a good source of income forthe producers. In its exportation the most faced problem is `aflatoxin?. In this respectthe calculation of the values of aflatoxin is of special importance. In this studyinvestigations were done for the identification of aflatoxin contenet by using ELISAtest which is used as a rapid, cheap and safe diagnosis technique in last decades.Thus, using ELISA test that depends upon protein content and does not needdetailed laboratory conditions was rapid and safely determined the aflatoxin values..Vegetable materials used in this study were taken from Pistacia vera L. depots andwholesale trade stores with 38 different sources Pistacia vera L. samples. ELISA testand HPLC method were used to identify the aflatoxin content in Pistacia vera L. Itwas encountered aflatoxin B1 over 2 ppb in 16 samples at the end of the ELISA test.But there were no evidence about the aflatoxin total. In HPLC method there were notencountered any of the aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin total. These results show that theELISA test to be more reliable than HPLC method. In this study ELISA test wasused for the first time in the determination of alfatoxin content in Pistacia vera L.Key Words : Pistacia vera L., aflatoxin, ELİSA