The proliferated contamination of agricultural commodities by mycotoxins and their attendant toxic effects on humans and animals which consume such commodities constitutes a major concern to food safety and security. These highly toxic food contaminants are produced by various filamentous fungi species that are ubiquitous in nature, however, favourable climatic conditions in the tropics favour their proliferation in these regions. Africa, by virtue of its location along the equator makes it highly accommodative to proliferation of mycotoxigenic fungi species, as such, it is the most affected of all the continents. Other factors such as poverty, and climate change further complicates the mycotoxin situation on the continent. Economic impact due to mycotoxin contamination in Africa is thus alarming. The effects of mycotoxins can in fact be felt in the overall health of humans and animals, sustainable development, food security and safety, damage to the African agricultural export brand, negatively impacting Africa's self-sustainability and increased dependence on foreign aid, not excluding high cost of research, mitigation and regulation of the prevalence of these toxins in African countries. This book chapter presents an exhaustive appraisal of the socioeconomic impact of mycotoxins on Africa. Our observations herein are expected to stimulate policy makers, as well as, all stakeholders along the food supply chain to identify critical areas of collaboration and strengthen alliances in order to ameliorate the effects of these toxicants on the continent of Africa, and the world at large.
Fermented food samples (n = 191) including maize gruel (ogi), sorghum gruel (ogi-baba), melon seed (ogiri), locust bean (iru) and African oil bean seed (ugba) from Southwest Nigeria were quantified for 23 mycotoxins, including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), and sterigmatocystin (STE) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The practices, perceived understanding and health risks related to fungal and mycotoxin contamination amongst fermented food sellers was also established. Data obtained revealed that 82% of the samples had mycotoxins occurring singly or in combination. FB1 was present in 83% of ogi-baba samples, whereas 20% of ugba samples contained AFB1 (range: 3 to 36 µg/kg) and STE was present in 29% of the ogi samples. In terms of multi-mycotoxin contamination, FB1 + FB2 + FB3 + STE + AFB1 + alternariol + HT-2 co-occurred within one sample. The awareness study revealed that 98% of respondents were unaware of mycotoxin contamination, and their education level slightly correlated with their level of awareness (p < 0.01, r = 0.308). The extent to which the analyzed mycotoxins contaminated these food commodities, coupled with the poor perception of the population under study on fungi and mycotoxins, justifies the need to enact fungal and mycotoxin mitigation strategies along the food chain.
The search for alternative food sources especially protein to meet the nutritional demand of the projected 9 billion world population by 2050 is now critical. Edible insect is an alternative source of protein in many African and Asian cuisines where beef, pork and chicken are perceived to be relatively expensive. The current study evaluates Mulberry Silkworm Pupae (MSP) and African Palm Weevil larvae (APW) as substitute to the mainstream proteins in snacks fillings, and also assessing the consumer acceptability of the new products. The chemical composition showed that MSP is higher in protein and soluble fibre contents while APW is higher in crude fat, crude fibre, zinc, manganese and calcium contents. The cooked edible insects were rich in both essential and non-essential amino acids. When used as fillings for snacks, the protein content of the snacks produced with APW and MSP compared favourably well with the snacks produced with beef fillings. The fat contents of the snacks were 18 % lower than those of snacks made with beef fillings. The mineral contents of the snack with APW were significantly higher than the other samples. There was no significant difference in the taste and overall acceptability of samosa snack produced with beef, APW and MSP. African palm weevil larvae and Mulberry silkworm pupae could serve as alternative sources of protein in the production of snacks and cuisines, and a viable source of income generation.
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