Determinants of knowledge about aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in sorghum and postharvest practices among caregivers of children aged 6–59 months in Kerio Valley, Kenya

Lesuuda, Lmeriai; Obonyo, Meshack; Cheserek, Maureen Jepkorir

doi:10.1002/fsn3.2502

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Toma 113 and Matumba et al 6 also found from their studies in Ethiopia and Tanzania respectively, that aflatoxins are the best well-known mycotoxins. Studies in Kenya by Lesuuda et al 109 agree with our findings that the majority of their respondents knew very little about other mycotoxins other than aflatoxins. The pertinent literature contains information on the association between inadequate knowledge about aflatoxin contamination with high rates of exposure to aflatoxins 100 , 108 , 114 , 115 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Food analysis of the raw materials and food served to the children indicated the intake of mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisin, zearalenone, vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol) etc.) are beyond permissive levels 6 , 97 , 100 , 105 , 109 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In this present study, the majority of our respondents have attained tertiary education and had adequate knowledge about the presence of fungi in food while the rest had either no education background or are semi-literates with a low level of formal education. Lesuuda et al 109 also reported that in Kenya, the majority of their respondents were primary school leavers, and their knowledge of mycotoxin contamination of staple food and dehydrated cereal grains was significantly low (p < 0.05).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Survey of knowledge, and attitudes to storage practices preempting the occurrence of filamentous fungi and mycotoxins in some Ghanaian staple foods and processed products

Kortei,

Badzi,

Nanga

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mycotoxigenic fungi can infect and produce potent mycotoxins in foodstuffs prior to harvest, during harvest (field fungi), and in storage after harvest (storage fungi), which when ingested, can result in adverse health effects. This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices adopted by the Ghanaian populace to help mitigate the occurrence of molds and mycotoxins in foods. A cross-sectional survey involving a structured questionnaire was conducted with 642 respondents from twelve regions of Ghana. Descriptive statistics and analyses of variance were calculated. Correct Classification Rate (CCR) was measured to assess the utility of a logistic regression model. The results of the study showed that the majority of 299 (46.6%) of the respondents were between the ages of 18–25. Age and educational level were related to knowledge about the occurrence of fungi and mycotoxins in foods (p < 0.05). More than half the respondents, 50% indicated that they knew of aflatoxins as a major mycotoxin present in food. Higher education directly influenced on the knowledge of mycotoxicosis and the management of stored food to present intoxication by fungal metabolites. 502 (32.9%) knew that consuming foods with toxins could cause stomach aches. The most commonly consumed food commodity despite the presence of visible growth of fungi was bread (35.3%). The average KAP score for knowledge showed that, out of 100%, there was adequate knowledge (63.8%) among the members of the Ghanaian populace. Favorable environmental conditions of high humidity (> 85% ERH) and temperature (> 28–32 °C) enhance the proliferation of fungi in most foods and the attendant production of mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and fumonisins are associated with several severe human and animal health conditions; mycotoxicosis was associated with high fever, pain, vomiting, suppression of immunity, cancer, etc. when these foods are consumed on regular basis for a prolonged length of time. Future examination of the food items used for the School Feeding Programme in Ghana will offer opportunities to examine the risks of feeding youth with fungal-contaminated food preparations from providers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Survey of knowledge, and attitudes to storage practices preempting the occurrence of filamentous fungi and mycotoxins in some Ghanaian staple foods and processed products

Kortei,

Badzi,

Nanga

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Leroy et al (2015) but contrasts with the findings ofMehta et al (2021). That notwithstanding, findings shared byMalusha et al (2016) andLesuuda et al (2021) showed a negative correlation between knowledge, attitude and practices with aflatoxin contamination on cereals, and underscores education as one of the strategies that can be implemented among lactating mothers to reduce dietary aflatoxin exposure in this present study. Though the socioeconomic status model did not predict aflatoxin B1 intake of lactating mothers in the study, its positive association with an increase in aflatoxin B1 intake was not expected.…”

contrasting

confidence: 86%

“…On the other hand, cleaning maize before storage in this study was found not to influence the exposure of lactating mothers to aflatoxins. This observation, however, was not expected as the study by Lesuuda et al (2021) concluded that separating deformed grains was associated with a low occurrence of aflatoxins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers of children 0–6 months in Makueni County, Kenya

Ogallo

Kaindi

Abong

et al. 2023

Maternal & Child Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The southeastern region of Kenya is prone to aflatoxin outbreaks, yet maternal and infant aflatoxin intake levels remain unclear. We determined dietary aflatoxin exposure of 170 lactating mothers breastfeeding children aged 6 months and below in a descriptive cross-sectional study involving aflatoxin analysis of maize-based cooked food samples (n = 48). Their socioeconomic characteristics, food consumption patterns and postharvest handling of maize were determined. Aflatoxins were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package Software for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27) and Palisade's @Risk software. About 46% of the mothers were from low-income households, and 48.2% had not attained the basic level of education. A generally low dietary diversity was reported among 54.1% of lactating mothers. Food consumption pattern was skewed towards starchy staples. Approximately 50% never treated their maize, and at least 20% stored their maize in containers that promote aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin was detected in 85.4% of food samples. The mean of total aflatoxin was 97.8 μg/kg (standard deviation [SD], 57.7), while aflatoxin B1 was 9.0 μg/kg (SD, 7.7). The mean dietary intake of total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 was 7.6 μg/kg/b.w.t/day (SD, 7.5) and 0.6 (SD, 0.6), respectively. Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers was high (margin of exposure < 10,000). Sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption patterns and postharvest handling of maize variably influenced dietary aflatoxin exposure of the mothers. The high prevalence and presence of aflatoxin in foods of lactating mothers are a public health concern and calls for the need to devise easy-to-use household food safety and monitoring measures in the study area.

show abstract

The Impact of Fermentation on Aflatoxin and Fumonisin Levels in Sorghum Kernels and Flour Used to Prepare Complementary Food in Kerio Valley, Kenya

Lesuuda,

Obonyo,

Cheserek

2024

Food Science & Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sorghum is a major ingredient used in the production of complementary foods in Kenya's drylands, particularly in areas like Kerio Valley. However, it is known to be susceptible to aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination, which have adverse effects on human health. The current study aimed to assess the levels of aflatoxin and fumonisin in sorghum kernels and flour from Kerio Valley and to investigate whether fermentation (spontaneous or innoculum facilated) could reduce the levels of toxins. The sorghum samples were obtained through a cross‐sectional survey and subjected to ELISA analysis for quantification of aflatoxin and fumonisin levels. The aflatoxin levels ranged from 0 to 119.91 ppb for sorghum kernels and from 2.70 to 89.36 ppb in the flour, while fumonisin concentrations ranged from 0 to 30.65 ppm in sorghum kernels and 0.22 to 27.27 ppm in the flour. Fermentation significantly reduced the levels of the toxins in sorghum samples (p ≤ 0.05). The type of fermentation (p = 0.001), sample fermented (kernels or flour) (p = 0.004), and duration of fermentation (p = 0.037) significantly impacted the reduction of both toxins. Therefore, there is a need to integrate the adoption of fermentation with other effective postharvest practices to mitigate mycotoxin contamination in sorghum and other cereal‐based foods. In addition to the customary health and nutrition messages, promoting proper food handling, storage, and processing can significantly contribute to improving food safety and the overall health and nutritional status of young children.

show abstract

Determinants of knowledge about aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination in sorghum and postharvest practices among caregivers of children aged 6–59 months in Kerio Valley, Kenya

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Survey of knowledge, and attitudes to storage practices preempting the occurrence of filamentous fungi and mycotoxins in some Ghanaian staple foods and processed products

Survey of knowledge, and attitudes to storage practices preempting the occurrence of filamentous fungi and mycotoxins in some Ghanaian staple foods and processed products

Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers of children 0–6 months in Makueni County, Kenya

The Impact of Fermentation on Aflatoxin and Fumonisin Levels in Sorghum Kernels and Flour Used to Prepare Complementary Food in Kerio Valley, Kenya

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About