Prevalence of aflatoxin along processing points of locally made complementary food formulae in northern Uganda: Safety and children's exposure across seasons

Eunice Achiro; Lawrence Okidi; Richard Echodu; Simon Peter Alarakol; Juliet Anena; Duncan Ongeng

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18564

Prevalence of aflatoxin along processing points of locally made complementary food formulae in northern Uganda: Safety and children's exposure across seasons

Heliyon. 2023 Jul 22;9(8):e18564. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18564. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Eunice Achiro¹, Lawrence Okidi¹, Richard Echodu², Simon Peter Alarakol³, Juliet Anena¹, Duncan Ongeng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Postharvest Technology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Gulu University, P. O. Box 166, Gulu, Uganda.
² Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, P. O. Box 166 Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
³ Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, P. O. Box 166, Gulu, Uganda.

Abstract

Aflatoxin contamination along the processing points of locally made complementary food composite needs to be ascertained and minimized to reduce exposure to weaning children. The study established the concentrations of total aflatoxin (TAF) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁) along the processing points of locally made malted millet sesame soybean composite (MMSSC) across season one (wet) and season two (dry) and determined children's exposure to them. A total of 363 samples were collected in 2019. TAF and AFB₁ concentrations were determined quantitatively using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Consequently, exposure of individual children was assessed as Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), (ng kg^-1 bw day^-1). All the samples along the processing points had detectable concentrations of TAF and AFB₁ ranging from 0.578 μg kg^-1 to 1.187 μg kg^-1 and 0.221 μg kg^-1 to 0.649 μg kg^-1 respectively. Contamination was highest in raw materials; soybean (Glycine max) > sesame (Sesamum indicum), followed by stored composite, freshly prepared composite, and least in millet (Eleusine coracana). Contamination varied significantly across seasons with the wet season having higher contamination than the dry season at P = 0.05. All samples (100%) were within the European Commission (EC) acceptable maximum tolerable level for TAF and AFB₁ (4 μg kg^-1 and 2 μg kg^-1) respectively for processed foods for general consumption. But were below the EU acceptable maximum tolerable level for TAF and AFB₁ (0.4 μg kg^-1 and 0.1 μg kg^-1) respectively for processed baby foods cereals. However, all were within the United States- Food and Drug Authority (US-FDA) and East African Community (EAC) set maximum acceptable limit of 20 μg kg^-1 for TAFs, 10 μg kg^-1 and 5 μg kg^-1 for TAF and AFB₁ respectively. Conversely, exposure to these toxins was much higher than the Provisional Maximum Tolerable Dietary Intake (PMTDI) of 0.4 ng kg^-1 bw day^-1 to 1.0 ng kg^-1 bw day^-1. A significant difference in exposure to both toxins was observed with the weight. The age of 5 months was the most exposed. A concerted effort is needed to reduce children's exposure to MMSSC to TAF and AFB1, taking sesame and soybean as priority ingredients and proper storage based on season to control contamination.

Keywords: Aflatoxin; And Uganda; Exposure assessment; Mycotoxin; Risk assessment.