Nutrient and aflatoxin contents of traditional complementary foods consumed by children of 6–24 months

Abstract

The nutrient composition and safety of complementary foods have recently become areas of concern, especially with regard to aflatoxin contamination which has been found to adversely affect health outcomes. This study presents the nutrient and aflatoxin contents of complementary foods consumed by children (6–24 months) and infants and young child feeding practices of mothers from two districts in eastern and southern Zambia. A total of 400 mother–child pairs were recruited from Monze and Chipata districts, and data on breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices were collected twice at 3‐month interval using a structured questionnaire. Samples of two traditional complementary foods (Maize Nshima and Maize porridge) were collected from the mothers and analyzed for nutrient contents and aflatoxin contamination. The results showed that there is a high level of awareness on exclusive breastfeeding among mothers. Fat, protein, carbohydrate, and ash contents of Maize nshima from Chipata were significantly lower (p < .05) compared to those from Monze district except for starch and sugar. Monze mothers preferred to prepare a thicker Maize nshima and Maize porridge compared to their Chipata counterparts. The aflatoxin contamination showed that the Maize porridge samples from Chipata were the most contaminated with mean aflatoxin content of 5.8 ± 15.93 mg/100 g, while Maize nshima was the most contaminated of the two complementary foods from Monze districts with mean aflatoxin level of 3.8 ± 6.41 mg/100 g. There were significant (p < .05) positive correlations between fat and aflatoxin contents for Chipata samples (r = .12409) and for Monze samples (r = .13666). The traditional complementary foods studied were found to be low in fat and protein and high in aflatoxin contamination. Thus, it is imperative that best practices and interventions are designed and introduced to reduce the possible lethal health implications of consumption of such complementary foods by children under 5 years.

Relationship between serum aflatoxin concentrations and the nutritional status of children aged 6–24 months from Zambia

“…However, the children from Monze had a higher value of AFB1-lys and AFB1-lys normalised to albumin measured, which suggests higher exposure. Alamu et al (2018) showed that the complementary foods the children were fed on during the sampling period contained aflatoxins at levels (Porridge-mean 5.8 ± 15.93 mg/kg) and Nshima-mean 3.8 ± 6.41 mg/kg) that were at times exceeding the recommended maximum tolerable limit (2.0 mg/kg) in baby foods. Thus, exposure to aflatoxin through consumption of contaminated complementary foods coupled with ingestion of aflatoxin M1 in the breast milk of exposed mothers may have contributed to the levels detected in the serum in the present study.…”

“…The introduction of complementary foods may expose children to diseases and infections from unsafe food (which may include aflatoxins), water contamination, and poor hygiene. Maize and groundnut form the basis of complementary foods owing to their high production levels (Alamu et al 2018). These are common for children in poor households and are given in the form of maize porridge with groundnut added to enhance protein and energy density cheaply.…”

“…Little is known on the effect of aflatoxin contamination levels reported in the complementary foods (Alamu et al 2018) fed to children between 9 and 24 months of age in Zambia. Hence, child aflatoxin exposure in Zambia could be an under-evaluated growth risk factor.…”

Nutrient and mycotoxin content of commercially-sold premixed infant cereals in Malawi

“…In other settings, focus group discussions among caregivers who were mixing maize with legume flours for more nutrient-dense porridges revealed the use of shrivelled, discolored, and damaged groundnuts in those complementary foods (Geresomo et al 2017). Research from neighboring Zambia found that traditional maize-based complementary foods similar to Malawian nsima and mixed-flour porridge did not meet recommended nutrient levels for CFs and were contaminated with higher than recommended levels of aflatoxin (Alamu et al 2018). As in other low-income settings (Choudhury, Headey, and Masters 2019), very few households use high-cost foods such as eggs, meat or even fruits and vegetables, and most preparedat-home porridges use local starchy staples, sometimes combined with local leguminous grains.…”

Presencia de micotoxinas en preparados y colados comerciales para lactantes en el área metropolitana de Asunción, Paraguay

“…La presencia de micotoxinas en alimentos comerciales para lactantes ha sido reportada alrededor del mundo de manera creciente y sostenida, sobre todo en países en vías de (12)(13)(14) desarrollo . En consecuencia, se han establecido normativas sobre los límites máximos de estos contaminantes.…”