Correlation between aspergillus flavus fungal biomass and aflatoxin contamination in harvested maize: insights from Kenya and Tanzania
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tehran university of medical sciences.
Abstract
Controlling the occurrence of aflatoxins in foods must be accompanied by managing the fungi
responsible for their production. The abundance and diversity of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus
flavus are responsible for the accumulation of these toxins in crops, posing a persistent threat to
public health and the economy in tropical developing countries. A study was conducted to
investigate the occurrence and level of A. flavus and relate them to aflatoxin levels in maize in Kenya
and Tanzania. A total of 786 maize samples were collected during harvesting in selected areas of
the two countries for analysis. The fungal abundance in the samples was measured as the amount of
fungal DNA relative to maize DNA. This was accomplished by quantifying the fungal DNA using
qPCR, targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene, while the maize DNA was quantified
through the alpha-tubulin gene, the two genes known to be conserved. Aflatoxins were quantified
using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography, coupled with ultra-high sensitivity, ultra-fast
triple quadrupole tandem-mass spectrophotometer. A. flavus was detected in 88.5% of the 786 tested
samples, and the average fungal load for these samples (expressed as the log host/pathogen ratio)
was 5.53. Aflatoxin occurrence was positive in 31.9% of the samples, with an average level of 2.3
± 0.643 ppb. The study established a positive relationship between the occurrence and level of
aflatoxin B 1 and the presence and biomass of A. flavus, which was statistically proven. These
findings emphasize the need to place substantial attention on preharvest control of A. flavus in cereal
fields as an effort to control the accumulation of aflatoxin B1 in foods.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Aflatoxin, Aspergillus flavus, Fungal biomass, Maize
Citation
Temba BA, Bakari GG, Mgonja FR, Mushi JR. Correlation between Aspergillus flavus fungal biomass and aflatoxin contamination in harvested maize: insights from Kenya and Tanzania. J food safe & hyg 2023; 9 (2):120-133