Aflatoxin, a mycotoxin present in corn, is a potent natural liver carcinogen that causes between 25,000 and 155,000 cases of liver cancer annually worldwide. Aside from its carcinogenic effects, chronic aflatoxin exposure is associated with child growth impairment and malnutrition in humans. 

Elevated aflatoxin levels in corn pose the biggest threat to the US because they can disrupt both domestic and foreign corn markets by having unintended economic effects.

Hence, The Food and Drug Administration regulates aflatoxin levels in corn intended for human consumption and animal feed in the US.

Aspergillus flavus, the key fungus for aflatoxin production, is well adapted to warm and dry weather conditions. Multiple review papers have suggested that increased temperatures of 2° to 5° Celsius and drought stress will critically increase aflatoxin levels in corn in the US by 2031–2041.

Corn is one of the most important crops in the US; approximately 5.6 billion bushels of corn are grown, and it is used in various food products such as breakfast cereals, corn syrup, and corn oil, among others. As the US is by far the world's largest corn-producing country, understanding aflatoxin risk in the years to come in US corn is meaningful for global food security.

The US needs to take steps to reduce the risk of aflatoxin in corn to preserve a safe food supply in the US and worldwide. One of the most effective ways to identify aflatoxin levels in corn is through testing.

The existing testing methods, such as chemical tests have many drawbacks. Lateral Flow, ELISA, HPLC and other chemical tests are expensive and require chemicals, and can be hazardous to conduct.

Limitations of current chemical tests:

Limited test capacity: Testing each truckload of corn is time-consuming, limiting sample testing and resulting in mycotoxin levels going unnoticed.

Storage risks: Testing every truckload of corn is not feasible due to the time-consuming nature of conducting multiple tests, increasing the possibility of missed trucks with mycotoxin and amplifying the risk of mycotoxin spreading in the storage.

Product recalls: Due to mycotoxins seeping into finished products, product recalls can occur, leading to substantial revenue loss and brand reputation damage.

To address the above challenges, ImagoAI,Inc a food-tech company, has developed a faster, safer, and affordable test for aflatoxin in corn. Underline technology used is the combination of Hyperspectral Imaging and Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, other major mycotoxins tests such as DON, ZEA, FUM are also available.

When you scan the corn sample with Hyperspectral Imaging system, it captures 220+ spectral bands at each & every pixel, and this data goes to our AI cloud. Our AI analyzes the data & provides results in seconds.‍

ImagoAI's Galaxy Corn Mycotoxin Test provides results for all four mycotoxins simultaneously in just 30 seconds, making it the world's fastest mycotoxin test.

The other benefits of using ImagoAI's test over other existing tests:

Operational efficiency: ImagoAI's tests are designed to be fast and accurate, reducing the time and resources required for testing.

Employee safety: No need for hazardous chemicals makes it a safer test to conduct.

Affordable: ImagoAI's tests are affordable and offer 50% more cost-effectiveness compared to traditional testing methods.

Increase test volume: Test more samples in less time.

Reduced  product recall rate: By detecting mycotoxins early, ImagoAI's tests help to prevent expensive product recalls, which can cause revenue loss and irreparable damage to a brand's reputation.

Easy to use: ImagoAI's tests are easy to use and require no special training. 

In summary, addressing the risk of aflatoxin contamination in corn is a major concern for the Global food industry, and to minimize this risk, it is imperative to use a quicker, safer, and affordable method of testing for aflatoxin in corn. This problem is effectively and practically solved by ImagoAI's test, which uses hyperspectral Imaging and AI to quickly and accurately test for aflatoxin. 

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