Occurrence and diversity of waterborne fungi and associated mycotoxins in treated drinking water distribution system in South Africa: implications on water quality and public health

Mhlongo, Ntombie Thandazile; Ogola, Henry Joseph Oduor; Selvarajan, Ramganesh; Sibanda, Timothy; Kamika, Ilunga; Tekere, Memory

doi:10.1007/s10661-020-08477-x

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Moreover, the occurrence of a single mycotoxin as well as their co‐occurrence are common. Mycotoxins can be found in all types of food and feed stuffs (processed or unprocessed) including cereals (Lattanzio & Pascale, 2017), meats (Sun et al., 2019), aquatic foods (Ingenbleek et al., 2019), dairy products (Radonić et al., 2017), vegetables (Sun et al., 2019), fruits (Chiotta et al., 2020), juices/alcohol beverages (Oteiza et al., 2017), and even in the public drinking water system (Mhlongo et al., 2020). Table S2 summarizes data published between 2017 and 2021 describing mycotoxin occurrence in different food/feed commodities, their concentration levels, and sample origin.…”

Section: Main Infected Crops and Mycotoxin Regulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds as promising antimycotoxin agents: Where are we now?

Ahmed

Tardif

Rouger

et al. 2022

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

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Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by molds that contaminate food commodities, are harmful to both humans and animals, as well as cause economic losses. Many countries have set regulatory limits and strict thresholds to control the level of mycotoxins in food and feedstuffs. New technologies and strategies have been developed to inhibit toxigenic fungal invasion and to decontaminate mycotoxins. However, many of these strategies do not sufficiently detoxify mycotoxins and leave residual toxic by‐products. This review focuses on the use of phenolic compounds obtained from botanical extracts as promising bioagents to inhibit fungal growth and/or to limit mycotoxin yields. The mechanism of these botanicals, legislation concerning their use, and their safety are also discussed. In addition, recent strategies to overcome stability and solubility constraints of phenolic compounds to be used in food and feed stuffs are also mentioned.

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Section: Main Infected Crops and Mycotoxin Regulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds as promising antimycotoxin agents: Where are we now?

Ahmed

Tardif

Rouger

et al. 2022

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

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“…The related study showed that fungi can produce mycotoxins in water which could cause detrimental health effects [40]. Even a low dose presence of mycotoxins in treated drinking water has raised a concern for future public health in South Africa [41]. Moreover, AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and ochratoxin A were detected in different commercially available brands of bottled water in Portugal [42].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary Aflatoxin M1 Concentration and Its Determinants in School-Age Children in Southern Ethiopia

et al. 2022

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Aflatoxins are mycotoxins that can contaminate grains, legumes, and oil seeds. These toxic compounds are an especially serious problem in tropical and sub-tropical climates. The objective of this study was to raise awareness of aflatoxin exposure among primary school children in Shebedino woreda, southern Ethiopia, by measuring urinary aflatoxin M1 (AFM1). The study employed a cross-sectional design and systematic random sampling of children from eight schools in the district. The mean ± SD age of the children was 9.0 ± 1.8 years. Most (84.6%) households were food insecure with 17.9% severely food insecure. Urinary AFM1 was detected in more than 93% of the children. The median [IQR] concentration of AFM1/Creat was 480 [203, 1085] pg/mg. Based on a multiple regression analysis: DDS, consumption of haricot bean or milk, source of drinking water, maternal education, and household food insecurity access scale scores were significantly associated with urinary AFM1/Creat. In conclusion, a high prevalence of urinary AFM1 was observed in this study. However, the relation between AFM1 and dietary intake was analyzed based on self-reported dietary data; hence, all of the staple foods as well as animal feeds in the study area should be assessed for aflatoxin contamination.

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“…Results of real-world case studies on accidental contamination of water systems with Escherichia coli and Salmonella contamination showed that the causes of contamination are due to the tap water infrastructure and flushing and chlorination can help return a water system to service (Szabo and Minamyer, 2014). In South Africa, mycotoxins were found in tap water used for drinking, but the tested samples of water indicated that the tolerable daily intake of the mycotoxins were not exceeded (Mhlongo et al, 2020).…”

Section: Drinking Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dilemmas of Water Quality and Food Security Interactions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2021

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Water is a factor input for many food system activities such as agriculture, food processing and consumption. However, food system activities also affect water resources. Moreover, the shift in focus of food security in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) from producing enough staple foods toward healthy diets stimulates local production of fresh food such as fruit, vegetables and fish even in water scarce regions. To secure local production, polluted water is used for food production, processing and consumption, which might jeopardize human health. However, scientific evidence is still scattered and fragmented. The aim of this study is to systematically investigate the empirical tested impacts of water quality on the food system activities and vice versa. Using a comprehensive framework, we sketch the inter-relationships between water quality and food systems based on a literature study. Food system activities included food production (crop production, livestock and aquaculture), food processing, and food consumption. Multiple contaminants were incorporated such as nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides, pathogens, cyanotoxins, and heavy metals. Moreover, we considered different water sources such as groundwater, surface water, wastewater and coastal water. We found that food system activities contaminate water in several ways, and these differ between food system activity and type of food produced. The impact of water quality on the food system depends on the food produced, the type of contaminant and techniques of food preparation. In addition, food is contaminated in multiple ways along the food system. Irrigation with polluted water may sound familiar, but polluted water is sometimes also used in food processing (cleaning of equipment or food products), and in food preparation (at home or by street vendors). Hygiene in food consumption is crucial to prevent fecal-oral transmission. However, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) received little attention in relation to food consumption. If local production of fresh food is encouraged to improve food security, all aspects of water quality should be analyzed to avoid undesirable consequences.

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Occurrence and diversity of waterborne fungi and associated mycotoxins in treated drinking water distribution system in South Africa: implications on water quality and public health

Cited by 7 publications

References 51 publications

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds as promising antimycotoxin agents: Where are we now?

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds as promising antimycotoxin agents: Where are we now?

Urinary Aflatoxin M1 Concentration and Its Determinants in School-Age Children in Southern Ethiopia

The Dilemmas of Water Quality and Food Security Interactions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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