Having affordable climate and fertile soil conditions let our country to have high potential on agricultural production. It is important to increase number of products that are in high quality, exportable, and competitive both in internal and external markets. Thus, implementation of innovative and modern technologies both in production and comsumption of goods is important.
Hazelnut is enriched with proteins, carbohydrates and fatty acids. Although high consumption rate and rich in nutrient content of the hazelnut makes it baneficial, incorrect growing and processing methods may cause mold development which later produces special toxins called aflatoxin later. So how to do growing, harvesting, drying and storage process to prevent creation of aflotoxin?
The soil must be choosen correctly for hazelnut planting. Frost and infection tolerant sorts should be planted, to have available ventilation column and plant, plant distances should be met to prevent mold development. Groundwater levels, external effects to the plant (such as pollutants and dust can be brought by wind and/or happen to be in soil), water resources for irrigation and similar purposes need to be taken into account.
Before vegetation plants need to be prunned and treated with proper pesticides. Soil should be cleared from any plant and remnants that can cause mushroom development, areas that are close to the hazelnut garden, that has potential for spread of mold and other mushroom spores, should be ploughed. If harvesting of the hazelnut happen by shaking, to prevent loss of the product, a large cover need to be provided under the tree. Harvesting of the hazelnut should not be implemented in rainy days, neither it should collected and stored in nylon sack bags in humidified form. After harvesting all hazelnut left on the soil needs to be collected immediately, cleared from insects and additional materials, after administration of the haymaker hazelnut should be left to dry in a previously designated area. To protect laying hazelnuts for drying from rain, there must be protective cover above 20-30 cm of the product and mixed once in 3-4 hours. Peeling of product should be done immediately. Peeled hazelnut should dry as soon as possible and humidity should be lower than 6%. Dried hazelnut should not stored in sacks in a hot form, the process need to be implemented either at early morning or evening. Hazelnut should never stored in polyethylene or nylon sacks. These types of materials block air passage which later cause mold development on hazelnut and increasing wet content and aflatoxin creation. Thus hazelnut should be stored in flax sacks. If there is infection by parasites, decay or other problems hazelnut should not be processsing. Hazelnut production areas need and materials and machines that used in peeling, sorting, preparation, drying and stored should be free from pollutants. There are should not have cracks and hollows on boxes during transportation. Transportation of sacks should be done by taking ventilation into account in dry and clean cars which are free from infection risk. Ventilation needs to be met in storing refrigators, microclimate be dry and in moderate temperature. Temperature should be between 15-20 and 0-10 if the product is kept for short and long period of time, respectively and humidity must not be higher than 70%. If mentioned conditions are not met, cration of aflotoxin is inevitable which leads to change in nutrient source of hazelnut, moreover loss of total fat content, change of color, degradation of proteins, have stinky taste.
The article was prepared by specialists of the Plant Health Division of the Scientific Research and Risk Management Department at AFSI.
Authors: Tarlan Ghorchiyeva, Jeyhuna Jafarova and Nazakat Mirzazadeh.
