Aflatoxins are cancerous chemicals produced by special types of mold that are contaminants of such foodstuff and feeds as corn, peanuts, sorghum, copra, pistachio nuts and cottonseed. Aflatoxin contamination usually does not appear in the field. Commonly, it develops when harvested crops are stored in damp places where mold grows easily. If aflatoxin is detected at early stage, it can be isolated and stopped from spreading. This helps to prevent contamination of products, financial loss, and ensure the safety of farm products. A simple UV test helps to identify the presence/absence of aflatoxin and mold. If a fresh sample fluoresce greenish-gold under the UV light illumination, most probably aflatoxin is present, but additional laboratory tests are typically required to make final conclusions.

By illuminating with the Labino UV light you are able to visualize early Penicillium spp. infections on citrus fruit. The infected tissue fluoresces bright yellow as shown in the pictures below. The Labino BigBeam Helios performs extremely well with this application.

For sanitation purposes, it is important to identify rodent presence in all areas of food industry. Rodent urine and hair fluoresce under the UV light 365 nm; therefore in order to identify rodent presence, the area in question should be simply illuminated with the UV light. Rodent hair fluoresces blue-white and can be easily noticed on sacking material or when intermixed with food grains for example. Rodent urine glows blue-white to yellow-white when dry. Fresh urine glows predominantly blue.