Microbiological safety of flours used in follow up for infant formulas produced in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Abstract

The prevalence of diarrheal diseases in children aged from 6 to 24 months in Burkina Faso is 38%. These diarrheas may be due to the consumption of contaminated weaning food. Therefore, the microbiological quality of follow up infant flours used as supplement foods is a key-point to reduce children diseases. In this study, the microbiological safety of locally-produced infant flours was investigated. One hundred and ninety-nine (199) samples were collected mainly in retails outlets and in Recovery and Nutrition Education Centers. According to the Burkina Faso regulations, microbiological analyses were carried out for Total Aerobic Mesophilic Flora (TAMF), thermotolerant coliforms, Salmonella spp. and yeasts/molds. The bacterial and fungal isolates were identified using phenotypic and genotypic methods and the study of the production of mycotoxins was carried out from the fungal isolates. In collected samples, the TAMF count ranged from 0 to 1.8 × 10 6 CFU/g with a total average of 6.3 × 10 4 CFU/g. About 2% of the samples had a microbial load exceeding the standards (10 5 CFU/g). No Salmonella spp. was isolated in the final infant flours. However, the presence of Enterobacteriaceae ( Klebsiella spp. Enterobacter spp. and Cronobacter spp.) was detected and molecular characterization revealed also the presence of fungal species of the genus Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Fusarium spp. Some of these species were found to produce aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and fumonisins, which are potential carcinogenic toxins. These results demonstrated the need for a preventive approach based on the application of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point in the food industry to ensure food safety of infant flours in Burkina Faso.

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“…They further reported that some species of Aspergillus found in the flour were capable of producing mycotoxins. Some of the fungal isolates reported by Waré et al (2018) were also identified in soybean flour sampled from four markets in Benin City. Among the fungal isolates encountered in the soybean flour either exposed or packaged, A. niger had the highest frequency of occurrence (23%).…”

“…In a related study, Waré et al (2018) reported the presence of Mucor sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium verticillioides, A. flavus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Aspergillus tamari, A. oryzae and Aspergillus sydowii in exposed flours used in formulating weaning food. They further reported that some species of Aspergillus found in the flour were capable of producing mycotoxins.…”

“…In a related study, Elenwo et al (2019) attributed microbial contamination of yam flour, plantain flour and cassava flour exposed in the market to too much handling of the products by the personnel, the use of poor quality water and undue exposure of the flour to the environment. A study carried out by Waré et al (2018) reported the presence of Enterobacter sp. and Klebsiella sp.…”

“…Globally, it is estimated that 600 million persons fall sick after consuming contaminated foods of which 420, 000 persons lose their lives including 125, 000 children below 5 years old. There are wide varieties of food products derived from different sources such as soybean which could be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms (Waré et al, 2018).…”