Occurrence of Fusarium Mycotoxins in Cereal Crops and Processed Products (Ogi) from Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, maize, sorghum, and millet are very important cash crops. They are consumed on a daily basis in different processed forms in diverse cultural backgrounds. These crops are prone to fungi infestation, and subsequently may be contaminated with mycotoxins. A total of 363 samples comprising of maize (136), sorghum (110), millet (87), and ogi (30) were collected from randomly selected markets in four agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Samples were assessed for Fusarium mycotoxins contamination using a multi-mycotoxin liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Subsequently, some selected samples were analysed for the occurrence of hidden fumonisins. Overall, 64% of the samples were contaminated with at least one toxin, at the rate of 77%, 44%, 59%, and 97% for maize, sorghum, millet, and ogi, respectively. Fumonisins were the most dominant, especially in maize and ogi, occurring at the rate of 65% and 93% with mean values of 935 and 1128 μg/kg, respectively. The prevalence of diacetoxyscirpenol was observed in maize (13%), sorghum (18%), and millet (29%), irrespective of the agro-ecological zone. Other mycotoxins detected were deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and their metabolites, nivalenol, fusarenon-X, HT-2 toxin, and hidden fumonisins. About 43% of the samples were contaminated with more than one toxin. This study suggests that consumption of cereals and cereal-based products, ogi particularly by infants may be a source of exposure to Fusarium mycotoxins.

Awareness and Prevalence of Mycotoxin Contamination in Selected Nigerian Fermented Foods

“…The frequency and contamination level found for the acetylated derivative of DON (3-ADON) was low, whereas no analyzed samples contained 15-ADON. Chilaka et al [11] found much higher contamination levels of DON and 3-ADON than any reported in our study.…”

“…The high incidence of this toxin group observed in ogi , a maize-based product substantiates the vulnerability of the maize crops to FB producing fungi such as F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides. Additionally, the low levels of FBs observed in ogi baba as a fermented processed sorghum product also correlates well with the findings that sorghum is less susceptible to fungal infestation when compared to maize [11]. Whilst, data on the occurrence of the studied mycotoxins in ogi baba is scarce, studies from Nigeria have reported the presence of FBs in sorghum grains [11,15].…”

“…Therefore, the presence of mycotoxins in fermented foods (i.e., iru , ogi , ogi baba , ugba and ogiri ) cannot be undermined. Even though fermentation could play a role in the degradation or detoxification of mycotoxins in foods, there are increasing reports of mycotoxins in fermented foods [9,10,11]. In Nigeria, there are no in-depth studies that report multiple mycotoxin contamination in the selected fermented foods, hence the need for this study.…”

“…However, in recent years, increasing reports on the prevalence of multiple mycotoxins in foods consumed in SSA [8,9,11,13,14,15,16,17] suggests that only minimal efforts are deployed towards mycotoxin management particularly amongst food processors and sellers. Though, their main goal is to generate income, chances are high that adequate understanding of health implications of mycotoxin contamination through experiential learning will prompt behavioral changes and the enactment of necessary mitigation actions.…”

Teelt van sorghum als voedergewas lijkt perspectiefvol in Nederland

“…Van sorghum in India is bekend dat tijdens de teeltperiode de schimmel Fusarium moniliforme onder bepaalde omstandigheden fumonisine als mycotoxine vormt, die ziekten bij mens en dier kan veroorzaken (Bhat et al, 1997). Ook in Nigeria werden mycotoxinen van Fusarium gevonden in sorghum, maar vergeleken met andere gewassen zoals maïs, millet en ogi, in een lagere hoeveelheid, respectievelijk 44% vs 77%, 59%, 97% (Chilaka et al, 2016). bladluis 'greenbug' en de 'sorghum mug' komen niet voor (Williams et al, 1980, De Milliano et al, 1992, Leslie, 2002, Berenji & Dahlberg, 2004.…”