Pre-export aflatoxin pre-sorting
Aflatoxin contamination in dried figs and pistachios is invisible to the naked eye and unaffected by heat. AFLALED's 365 nm UV-A LED lamps reveal it in seconds — so you catch it before export rejection does.
Normal Light
Toggle the switch to see how the image changes under 365 nm UV-A light. Filmed in a dark room — this is the real fluorescence effect as seen with the naked eye.
Health Effects
Liver damage and increased cancer risk.
Stay away from spotted, decaying produce.
Aflatoxin-contaminated dried fig under UV light
The Problem
Aflatoxin is a natural toxin produced by Aspergillus flavus mold. It's colorless, odorless, and tasteless — roasting, cooking, or drying does not destroy it. A single contaminated kernel can hide inside an otherwise flawless batch. In dried figs and pistachios, it remains one of the most common reasons for export rejection at customs.
The only reliable countermeasure is removing the contaminated kernel before it leaves the facility — and removing it starts with seeing it.
The Method
Where Aspergillus flavus has been active, it leaves behind kojic acid — invisible under normal light, but fluorescing greenish-yellow under 365 nm UV-A light. Suspect kernels stand out as if marked with a highlighter pen in a dark room.
This detection method is known as BGYF — Bright Greenish-Yellow Fluorescence.
This is a pre-sorting screening method, not a certified assay. Definitive aflatoxin determination requires accredited laboratory testing — AFLALED is the tool that tells you which kernels to send there.
100 cm · 365 nm bar, on the production line
In the Field
Real footage from the warehouse, the office, and the field. Watch the contaminated kernel glow in a darkened room.
Technology
Conventional fluorescent UV tubes lose UV output within months. They keep glowing purple, so the loss goes unnoticed — but the 365 nm energy that makes aflatoxin fluoresce has already dropped. Operators keep working under the light, unaware the tool has gone blind.
LEDs generate 365 nm directly. No phosphor coating, no Wood's filter, no mercury — no intermediate layer to degrade. What ships on day one is what you still have years later.
| Fluorescent UV Tube | AFLALED | |
|---|---|---|
| Wavelength | 350–400 nm, scattered | 365 nm ± 5 nm |
| Rated lifetime | 6,000 hours | 20,000 hours |
| End-of-life output loss | 40–50% | 10% |
| Mercury content | Yes | No |
| Warm-up needed | Yes | Instant, cold light |
| Degradable inner layer | Phosphor coating + Wood's filter | None |
Four Checkpoints
Spread inspection across four points in your process, and one weak link doesn't put an entire shipment at risk.
Product coming out of drying and storage, screened before packaging. This is where warehouse-stage contamination is most often caught.
Continuous inline scanning. Suspect kernels are flagged and pulled individually — sorting by kernel, not by batch.
The last filter before the container is sealed. The cost of a shipment rejected at the border isn't comparable to a day spent at the sorting table.
Incoming lots screened before payment, while responsibility still sits with the supplier.
Product Family
Handheld, cordless. Compact size for one-hand control. For field and on-site inspection. 4400 mAh battery, hours of continuous runtime, IP65.
Wider light bar for faster single-pass scanning. Warehouse, truck bed, or open field. Same battery and IP65 rating.
Handheld, corded. Built for spot checks and sample inspection. 5 m cable (longer on request), continuous operation with no charging downtime, aluminum body, IP65.
Wider bar for a fixed station — faster sample throughput. Same cable and IP65 rating.
Fixed-mount, conveyor belt. Wide beam angle covers the full belt width in a single row. Chainable up to 8 units, SD16 waterproof connector, continuous duty, IP65.
Narrower beam angle, concentrating the light into a single, more intense strip.
Common to all models: 365 nm wavelength · IP65 protection · aluminum body, cold light · AC 110–220 V · −10 °C / +50 °C operating range · mercury-free · 20,000-hour rated lifetime · warranty included
Technical specs
| Corded | Wireless | Line | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model code | AS-KL20 / AS-KL35 | AS-KZ20 / AS-KZ35 | AB-BT120 / AB-BT60 |
| Peak wavelength | 365 nm ± 5 nm | 365 nm ± 5 nm | 365 nm ± 5 nm |
| Irradiance @30 cm | 12 mW/cm² | 12 mW/cm² | 12 mW/cm² |
| LED manufacturer / model | Nichia NVSU233A | Nichia NVSU233A | Nichia NVSU233A |
| Light bar length | 20 cm or 35 cm | 20 cm or 35 cm | 96 cm |
| Beam angle | — | — | 120° or 60° |
| Power consumption | 12 W | 8 W | 15 W |
| Power supply | AC 110–220 V | 4400 mAh battery | AC 110–220 V |
| Runtime | Continuous | 6 hours | Continuous |
| Charging time | — | 4 hours | — |
| Cable length | 5 m (extendable on request) | — | — |
| Connector | IEC C14 | — | SD16 waterproof |
| Field / on-site use | — | Yes | — |
| Protection rating | IP65 | IP65 | IP65 |
| Operating temperature | −10 / +50 °C | −10 / +50 °C | −10 / +50 °C |
| Rated lifetime | 20,000 hours | 20,000 hours | 20,000 hours |
| Warranty | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Certificates | CE, RoHS | CE, RoHS | CE, RoHS |
Ideal working distance is 20–40 cm. The inspection area must be darkened — ambient light suppresses fluorescence. Power consumption varies with the light bar length selected; exact figures are shared by product code at the quote stage.
Operator Safety
Mercury-free — no toxic vapor risk if broken. Because the LED generates 365 nm directly, there's none of the UV-B/UV-C leakage risk seen in fluorescent tubes. Tested UV-B/C level is below 0.01 µW/cm². An integrated shield blocks side-angle viewing.
UV-protective eyewear is recommended for prolonged exposure to 365 nm UV-A light. Do not look directly into the light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aflatoxin is a natural toxin produced by Aspergillus flavus mold. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and is linked to liver damage and increased cancer risk. It is most commonly found in dried figs, pistachios, corn, dairy products, peanuts, walnuts, and spices.
No. Aflatoxin is heat-stable — roasting, cooking, or drying does not destroy it. The only effective countermeasure is removing the contaminated kernel from the batch.
Aspergillus flavus leaves behind kojic acid, invisible under normal light but fluorescing greenish-yellow under 365 nm UV-A light (the BGYF method). AFLALED produces this wavelength directly via LED, making suspect kernels visible to the eye. This is a pre-sorting method — definitive determination requires accredited laboratory testing.
Primarily dried figs and pistachios, and more broadly any food at aflatoxin risk: corn, dairy, peanuts, walnuts, and spices.
For a fixed station or production line, corded or line models suit continuous operation. For field, warehouse floor, or mobile inspection, the wireless model runs for hours on a single charge.
Pricing depends on model and quantity. Submit the quote form or contact us directly — we respond within 1 business day.
Yes. All AFLALED models are CE and RoHS certified, mercury-free, and designed for pre-export screening applications.
From the field
Aflatoxin cannot be detected by sight, smell or taste; it is colourless and odourless. Only an accredited laboratory can measure the exact amount. In the field, kernels that glow greenish-yellow under 365 nm UV-A light are set aside at once as suspicious kernels that may contain aflatoxin.
This is the check we recommend to our customers: when purchased figs arrive at the facility, while they are still at the warehouse entrance at the goods reception point, the lot is inspected with the 35 cm rechargeable AFLALED. The lamp is hand-held, has 12 LEDs and runs for 3 hours continuously. Suspicious kernels are noticed before they enter the warehouse.
The glow is clearest in the dark. Because AFLALED produces 365 nm light directly with LEDs, you can inspect both in a dark room and in daylight. That is why it is also used in truck beds, in front of warehouses and in orchards.
Sorting under UV light is a pre-sorting step. A laboratory result shows whether the lot is fit for sale or export.
Source: AltayShop field applications, Izmir, 2026.
In hazelnuts and walnuts, too, aflatoxin cannot be seen from the outside. A mouldy or discoloured kernel is a warning sign, but a clean-looking kernel can also be contaminated. In the field, the first screening is done with 365 nm UV-A light; the definitive result comes from laboratory analysis.
AFLALED was developed for dried figs. With the same 365 nm light it is also used to set aside suspicious kernels that may contain aflatoxin in pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts. For in-shell products, the check is done on the shelled kernel.
Rechargeable 20 cm and 35 cm models are used hand-held in warehouses and in the field. On a production line, the 96 cm belt model is mounted above the sorting belt. Six or seven lamps are added one after another on a 6 or 7 metre belt, and a double row is possible depending on belt width.
Source: AltayShop field applications, Izmir, 2026.
In almonds the sign is different from figs. Under 365 nm UV-A light, almonds that may contain aflatoxin glow violet-purple. The greenish-yellow glow used for figs and pistachios is not an aflatoxin sign in almonds.
This is based on an almond study by US Department of Agriculture researchers. Under long-wave UV light, aflatoxin-contaminated almond kernels showed a violet-purple fluorescence, while kernels with a bright yellow fluorescence showed no aflatoxin.
Because AFLALED emits the same 365 nm light, it can also be used for pre-sorting almonds. Set aside the kernels that glow violet-purple and always confirm the result with a laboratory.
Source: US Patent 4,535,248, "Method for detecting aflatoxin in almonds", US Department of Agriculture, 1985.
They do different jobs and do not replace each other. A laboratory test measures the amount of aflatoxin in a sample and gives an official result. A UV lamp lets you look at every kernel in the lot and set aside suspicious kernels that may contain aflatoxin. An aflatoxin test is done in the laboratory with methods such as HPLC or ELISA and gives the result in ppb (parts per billion).
Only a small sample of the lot goes to the laboratory. If there are a few suspicious kernels in the lot, they may not end up in the sample. That is why facilities first sort out suspicious kernels under UV light and then send a sample. The laboratory result becomes more reliable, and suspicious kernels leave the lot early.
Let us decide together at which stage and with which model you should inspect: 📱 +90 532 233 42 81 (WhatsApp) · 📞 +90 232 449 20 58
Source: AltayShop field applications, Izmir, 2026.
Yes, with AFLALED you can. Old fluorescent UV tubes are weak, so suspect kernels could only be seen glowing in a dark room. AFLALED produces 365 nm light directly with powerful LEDs, giving 12 mW/cm² at 30 cm. That is why suspect dried figs that may carry aflatoxin glow greenish-yellow even outdoors, in front of a warehouse or in the drying yard, in daylight.
Our video was filmed in daylight in front of a warehouse: AFLALED checking dried figs in daylight.
The glow is clearest in the dark. For detailed sorting a dark room or a shaded area is preferred; in daylight you can do quick checks. You can work in a dark room and in bright conditions alike. UV sorting is a pre-sorting step; the final result always comes from the laboratory.
Source: AltayShop field recording, İzmir, October 2026.
On sorting belts the AFLALED belt model is used. Each lamp is 100 cm (1 m) long, mounted 20-40 cm above the belt and runs continuously on 110-220 V. Lamps are added end to end to match the length of your belt; on wide belts they are installed in two rows. The wide-beam (120°) model covers the whole belt, the narrow-beam (60°) model concentrates the light on one strip for higher intensity.
As the figs move along the belt, sorters pick out the kernels that glow bright greenish-yellow by hand. The Codex code of practice for dried figs also recommends screening every incoming lot under long-wave UV light and removing the fluorescent figs. Removed figs are destroyed so that they cannot re-enter the food chain.
If the sorting belt is set up in a dark section or covered, the glow is easier to see.
Source: Codex Alimentarius, Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Dried Figs (CAC/RCP 65-2008).
Both can emit 365 nm light, but the workload is different. A flashlight focuses its light on one spot, so you inspect a palm-sized area at a time. AFLALED is a straight light bar 20 cm, 35 cm or 100 cm long. It lights a whole strip of a crate, tray or belt evenly in one pass, so far more kernels are checked in the same time.
Check the wavelength when buying. Many products sold as "UV flashlights" are 395 nm. That light also emits visible violet light, which drowns out the glow of suspect kernels. Long-wave UV used for aflatoxin pre-sorting is around 365 nm. AFLALED uses 365 nm ± 5 nm LEDs in an aluminium body with IP65 water and dust protection.
Source: FAO, mycotoxin screening methods; AFLALED technical data sheet.
UV-A is long-wave ultraviolet light between 315 and 400 nm, also known as "black light". It is part of sunlight and far less harmful than UV-B and UV-C.
Where the aflatoxin-producing mould (Aspergillus flavus) grows on dried figs, it leaves kojic acid behind. Combined with the fruit's own enzyme, this substance glows greenish-yellow under long-wave UV light. The method is called BGYF (bright greenish-yellow fluorescence). The Codex code for dried figs and agricultural screening methods use long-wave UV around 360-365 nm for this work. AFLALED emits exactly this wavelength.
The glow itself is not aflatoxin; it is a trace of the mould. That is why UV sorting is a pre-sorting step; the final result always comes from the laboratory.
Source: Codex Alimentarius CAC/RCP 65-2008; Iowa State University, black light presumptive test (AACC 45-15).
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