Mycotoxin contamination of maize results in heavy economic loss and a potential risk for human being. The Eswatini population depends heavily on maize for nutritional needs. This commodity requires continuous monitoring and care from its site of production by smallholder maize producers and importers through to consumers along the marketing chains. Maize produced locally and imported from neighbouring countries is often contaminated with Mycotoxin, which, after ingestion, pose serious health hazard to the consumers. Mycotoxin can contribute to the causation of liver cancers, immune system disorders, and growth-related issues in children. Moreover, deaths in both humans and animals have also been reported after ingestion of Mycotoxin contaminated food. Studies have shown contamination of food and feed ingredients with Mycotoxin. This study places the maize value chain into context, summarizes results of laboratory analyses of maize grain samples for Mycotoxin in the years between 2001 and 2021 and presents the prevalence and diversity of Mycotoxin and discusses the present legislative regulation of maize quality implemented in Eswatini. There is a need to improve maize production and postharvest handling practices, which are the sources of Mycotoxin so prevalent in the maize marketed to the consumers in Eswatini.

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi contaminating various food and feed crops. Exposure to mycotoxins has been associated with mycotoxicosis, which accounts for a high percentage of diseases in developing countries where methods of food handling and storage are inadequate. For the first time, this study determined the diversity, prevalence and co-occurrence of mycotoxins across the beans value chain in Eswatini. A total of 226 beans samples received between 2001 and 2021 by mycotoxin laboratory at Malkerns research were analysed and more than 59.3% of the samples were found contaminated with mycotoxins. Results confirmed that aflatoxins (AFs) and Zearalenone (ZEN) were the main contaminating mycotoxins in beans. These mycotoxins occurred singly and co-occurred as mixtures in the samples analysed. Considerable differences regarding the prevalence of these mycotoxins were observed between samples from different beans value chain actors and between sampling years. Implications of the results on the pre and postharvest handling of beans in Eswatini and the health hazard that mycotoxins pose to humans and animals were discussed. The importance of clear and enforceable regulations on levels of mycotoxin in beans and other dietary products is emphasised and the need for research on the deleterious effects of mycotoxins and their metabolites on animal and human health is underlined.