I have bought a bag of raw peanuts which have cooking instructions on them. I was going to eat them raw but my partner tells me they must be cooked to make them safe.

could you advice please - I know there is a mould called afla toxin that might be on them. Can you see this with the naked eye?

thanks Philippa

In my experience/opinion, you won't be able to see any toxins on the peanuts. If YOU think they are a healthy food, then just rinse them well in pure water and see how they affect you. In any event, the worst that would happen is you might become ill. Let us know.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

aflatoxin is the name for a group of toxins that are produced by two fungi called Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. these toxins occur naturally and have been found in a wide range of commodities (particularly peanuts) used for animal and human consumption. depending on the levels, the toxins can severely affect the liver and they are a known human carcinogen.

while the USDA and FDA has rules for how much aflatoxin is allowed in food before it's shipped to stores, there's no measure of it after it reaches the stores. those peanuts could have been sitting on the shelves at the store for weeks or months at room temperature, building up mold. it's even worse if the air is mildly moist. furthermore, if you fresh-grind those nuts into peanut butter, the mold keeps growing in the peanut butter. it rarely grows to the point where you can see it with the naked eye.

in college, i worked as a research assistant for an expert in cell biology and cancer research, president of the American Society of Cell Biology, and editor of the Journal of Cell Biology. he was very personally inspiring in regards to personal health -- a very fit vegan guy in his late 60s who also practiced a calorie restricted diet, among other interesting health practices. he was always dropping pearls of nutritional wisdom on me while i was eating my lunch, including admonitions never to drink chamomile tea, and never NEVER ever eat peanuts or peanut butter. so i don't.

thanks Butterfly
A very convincing post - I don't think I will eat my peanuts

maui_butterfly, I really appreciate this post.

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he was always dropping pearls of nutritional wisdom on me while i was eating my lunch, including admonitions never to drink chamomile tea, and never NEVER ever eat peanuts or peanut butter. so i don't.

I can understand peanuts, but why not chamomile?

re: chamomile tea - i don't remember!

I did not pursue to verify the accuracy of the statement, but a while back someone posted that valencia peanuts are not affected by aflatoxins due to the type of soil they grow in. In any event, I've seen that some of the peanut butters at health food stores specify that they are made from valencia peanuts.

Wishing you vibrant health

good point pistachio. valencias prefer arid climates (ex. new mexico, arizona) not friendly to aspergillis fungi. contamination of these types of peanuts generally occurs post harvest, during storage and/or processing. but valencias are also grown in areas not considered arid (ex. minnesota, semi-humid).

no one will claim their peanuts are aflatoxin-free, merely that they met the USDA standards (15ppb, set in 1965) at the time of shipment to the processor. however it should be noted that aflatoxin is a potent cancer-causing agent that attacks the liver (peanut farmers worldwide have a very high rate of liver cancer) and is one of the most deadly food-borne toxins in existence. scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure, merely a level deemed "reasonably achievable" by farmers. in europe for example, in contrast to other mycotoxins, no Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) has been set for aflatoxin. despite these rules, in one week in 2005 a random test of several EU states detected nearly 40 products on the shelves contaminated with aflatoxin.

Was wondering if this toxicity only applies to RAW peanuts / peanut products?

Producers claim that Raw Jungle Peanuts are aflatoxin-free. These are required to be tested at the same labs as other peanuts, so it seems credible. I get mine online from www.WildernessFamilyNaturals.com.

I eat the jungle peanuts raw, but definitely can't eat very many. Also, they seem a bit stale if they're not soaked first overnight. Once they're soaked, they're quite good. Kind of like peas from the pod.

Expensive though. I planted a bunch and they're doing well so far. Peanuts are best when they're right out of the ground, before they've dried up.

Peanuts are legumes and they should be cooked. The only legumes I can think of that can be eaten raw are some of the sprouted legumes like mung and alfalfa, and even then only in small quantities.

If I bought them, I would boil them for a few minutes before eating them.