Aflatoxin contamination of maize and groundnut in Burundi: Distribution of contamination, identification of causal agents and potential biocontrol genotypes of Aspergillus flavus

Aflatoxin contamination of maize and groundnut in Burundi: Distribution of contamination, identification of causal agents and potential biocontrol genotypes of Aspergillus flavus

Aflatoxin contamination of the staples maize and groundnut is a concern for health and economic impacts across sub-Saharan Africa. The current study (i) determined aflatoxin levels in maize and groundnut collected at harvest in Burundi, (ii) characterized populations of section associated with the t...

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Published in:Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 14; p. 1106543
Main Authors: Nsabiyumva, Gedeon, Mutegi, Charity K, Wagacha, John M, Mohamed, Asha B, Njeru, Nancy K, Ndayihanzamaso, Privat, Niyuhire, Marie Chantal, Atehnkeng, Joseph, Njukwe, Emmanuel, Callicott, Kenneth A, Cotty, Peter J, Ortega-Beltran, Alejandro, Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 13-03-2023
Subjects:
Aspergillus section Flavi
atoxigenic
biocontrol
diversity
Microbiology
toxigenic
Aspergillus section Flavi
atoxigenic
diversity
biocontrol
toxigenic
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Summary:Aflatoxin contamination of the staples maize and groundnut is a concern for health and economic impacts across sub-Saharan Africa. The current study (i) determined aflatoxin levels in maize and groundnut collected at harvest in Burundi, (ii) characterized populations of section associated with the two crops, and (iii) assessed aflatoxin-producing potentials among the recovered fungi. A total of 120 groundnut and 380 maize samples were collected at harvest from eight and 16 provinces, respectively. Most of the groundnut (93%) and maize (87%) contained aflatoxin below the European Union threshold, 4 μg/kg. Morphological characterization of the recovered section fungi revealed that the L-morphotype of was the predominant species. Aflatoxin production potentials of the L-morphotype isolates were evaluated in maize fermentations. Some isolates produced over 137,000 μg/kg aflatoxin B . Thus, despite the relatively low aflatoxin levels at harvest, the association of both crops with highly toxigenic fungi poses significant risk of post-harvest aflatoxin contamination and suggests measures to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in Burundi should be developed. Over 55% of the L-morphotype did not produce aflatoxins. These atoxigenic L-morphotype fungi were characterized using molecular markers. Several atoxigenic genotypes were detected across the country and could be used as biocontrol agents. The results from the current study hold promise for developing aflatoxin management strategies centered on biocontrol for use in Burundi to reduce aflatoxin contamination throughout the value chain.
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Present addresses: Charity K. Mutegi, Rootooba, Nairobi, Kenya
Edited by: István Pócsi, University of Debrecen, Hungary
This article was submitted to Food Microbiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology
Emmanuel Njukwe, CORAF, Dakar, Senegal
Reviewed by: Giancarlo Perrone, National Research Council (CNR), Italy; Damiano Accurso, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Italy
ISSN:1664-302X
1664-302X
DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1106543