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

• Published in: Toxins Vol. 8; no. 11; p. 342
• Main Authors: Chilaka, Cynthia Adaku, De Boevre, Marthe, Atanda, Olusegun Oladimeji, De Saeger, Sarah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.11.2016; MDPI
• Subjects: cereal; Edible Grain - chemistry; Food Contamination - analysis; Fusarium; Fusarium mycotoxins; LC-MS/MS; Mycotoxins - analysis; Nigeria; occurrence; ogi; Sorghum; Zea mays; ogi; LC-MS/MS; occurrence; cereal; Nigeria; Fusarium mycotoxins
• ISSN: 2072-6651; 2072-6651
• DOI: 10.3390/toxins8110342

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 (30) were collected from randomly selected markets in four agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Samples were assessed for 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 , respectively. Fumonisins were the most dominant, especially in maize and , 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, particularly by infants may be a source of exposure to mycotoxins.