A Comprehensive Review of Aflatoxin in Groundnut and Maize Products in Africa: Prevalence, Detection and Mitigation Strategies

Abstract

Afatoxins are a toxic secondary metabolite, mainly produced by the fungi Aspergillus favus and A. parasiticus. Afatoxin contamination of food is a global concern, as they are carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. Groundnuts and maize products are highly susceptible to afatoxin contamination at both pre- and postharvest stages; this leads to a great risk for those countries that rely on these products for food and nutrition security as well as income. Groundnut and maize products have contributed a substantial amount of afatoxin exposure to human and animal health risks, especially in countries that experience tropical climate and recurrent drought, favouring mould developments. Due to the strange health impacts of afatoxin in agricultural commodities, diferent countries have set the acceptable limits for groundnut and maize products, whereas most of the countries use the same limit for both commodities. Detection and quantifcation of afatoxins in groundnut and maize products are mainly through enzyme-linked immunoafnity assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), among others. However, currently rapid, accurate and cost-efective techniques are emerging to quickly monitor and enforce the regulation limits. Among the widely applied strategies for afatoxin mitigation are biological control including atoxigenic Aspergillus strains, plant extracts, and chemical and physical methods of detoxifcation and decontamination. Afatoxin decontamination using plant extracts i