Prevalence of Aflatoxin Contamination in Maize and Groundnut in Ghana: Population Structure, Distribution, and Toxigenicity of the Causal Agents

Abstract

Aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnut is perennial in Ghana with substantial health and economic burden on the population. The present study examined for the first time the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnut in major producing regions across three agroecological zones (AEZs) in Ghana. Furthermore, the distribution and aflatoxin-producing potential of Aspergillus species associated with both crops were studied. Out of 509 samples (326 of maize and 183 of groundnut), 35% had detectable levels of aflatoxins. Over 15% of maize and 11% of groundnut samples exceeded the aflatoxin threshold limits set by the Ghana Standards Authority of 15 and 20 ppb, respectively. Mycoflora analyses revealed various species and morphotypes within the Aspergillus section Flavi. A total of 5,083 isolates were recovered from both crops. The L morphotype of Aspergillus flavus dominated communities with 93.3% of the population, followed by Aspergillus spp. with S morphotype (6%), A. tamarii (0.4%), and A. parasiticus (0.3%). Within the L morphotype, the proportion of toxigenic members was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of atoxigenic members across AEZs. Observed and potential aflatoxin concentrations indicate that on-field aflatoxin management strategies need to be implemented throughout Ghana. The recovered atoxigenic L morphotype fungi are genetic resources that can be employed as biocontrol agents to limit aflatoxin contamination of maize and groundnut in Ghana. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license .

Phytopathogenic organisms and mycotoxigenic fungi: Why do we control one and neglect the other? A biological control perspective in Malaysia

“…Given the fact that peanuts and maize are the two most contaminated crop commodities by members of Aspergillus section Flavi (Pitt & Hocking, ; Samson, Houbraken, Thrane, Frisvad, & Andersen, ), which almost invariably produce the Group 1 carcinogenic aflatoxins, and that these two are relevant in Malaysian agricultural sector (listed as cash crops; Figure ), further investigation on the development of an efficient control against aflatoxigenic fungal colonization on these crops is highly warranted. Similar threat on peanuts and maize is also observed in the Philippines (Balendres, Karlovsky, & Cumagun, ), Ghana (Agbetiameh et al., ), and Zambia (Kachapulula, Akello, Bandyopadhyay, & Cotty, ).…”

Advances in Crop Improvement and Delivery Research for Nutritional Quality and Health Benefits of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

“…Studies suggest that the aflatoxin is carcinogenic, immunosuppressive (reduction of the activation or efficacy of the immune system), hepatotoxic (liver toxicity), and teratogenic (abnormalities of physiological development) in nature and thus has adverse impacts on human and animal health thus affecting nutrition and trade in many African and Asian countries (Amaike and Keller, 2011;Kensler et al, 2011;Monyo et al, 2012;Kamika et al, 2014;Mupunga et al, 2014;Njoroge et al, 2016;Njoroge et al, 2017;Agbetiameh et al, 2018;Norlia et al, 2018;Lien et al, 2019). Exposure to aflatoxins, particularly aflatoxin B1 (AfB1), is associated with increased risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer (Chu et al, 2017).…”

Technologies and strategies for aflatoxin control in Ghana: A synthesis of emerging evidence

“…Sources: Florkowski and Kolavalli, 2013;Agbetiameh et al, 2018;Magnan et al, 2019 In Africa, most human exposure to the toxin is through consumption of maize due to heavy reliance on this grain as a dietary staple (Abizari et al, 2016). In addition, as shown in Figure 2, very high concentrations of aflatoxin have been found in processed groundnut products, including in premixed cereal blends sold as infant food (Florkowski and Kolavalli, 2013;Opoku et al, 2018).…”