In order to detect the occurrence of aflatoxins in some suspeclous Korean foodstuffs, 54 samples of Meju (a naturally inoculated soybean substrate for soy sauce and paste fermentation), 125 samples of Doenjang (a Korean-style fermented soybean paste), both produced at household level, and 31 samples of peanut were collected from 8 major cities of South Korea and subjected to assay by the official method of AOAC. The results were as follows:
1) Frequencies for the occurrence of aflatoxins in Meju, Doenjang and peanut were 7.4(4/54), 8.8(11/125) and none (0/31), respectively, in which Meju and Doenjang samples from Daegu and Busan showed the high ratio of the presence.
2) A Doenjang sample from Busan was found to contain the highest content of aflatoxins, of hich B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂ were 66 ppb, 13 ppb, non-detectable and 5 ppb, respectively, while other samples detected were for G₂ only.
3) The identity of aflatoxin B₁ isolated from the Doenjang sample from Busan was confirmed by-thin-layer chromatographic behavior, derivative formation and
chicken embryo bioassay.
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