Mass spectrometry-based detection and risk assessment of mycotoxin contamination of ‘kankankan’ used for roasted meat consumption in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

B-Type Fumonisins in Post-Fermented Tea: Occurrence and Consumer Dietary Exposure in Guangxi, China

Post-fermented tea (PFT), a commonly consumed beverage worldwide, is characterized by the rapid growth of its microbial groups and the substantial changes they undergo. Consequently, PFT may contain mycotoxins such as B-type fumonisins (FBs). This study aimed to assess the intake of FBs through the consumption of PFT among consumers in Guangxi, China. A novel quantitative method using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the FB concentration in PFT products. Additionally, a PFT consumption survey was conducted using a face-to-face questionnaire, recording their body weight and PFT consumption patterns based on a three-day dietary recall method. Finally, hazard index was calculated to estimate the health risk of FBs from the consumption of PFT products in Guangxi. The results revealed that the occurrence of FBs in PFT was 20% (24/120), with a concentration ranging from 2.14 to 18.28 μg/kg. The results of the survey showed that the average daily consumption of PFT by consumers was 9.19 ± 11.14 g. The deterministic risk assessment revealed that only 0.026% of the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of FBs was consumed through PFT, indicating that FB contamination in PFT is not a public health risk.

Occurrence of mycotoxins and microbial communities in artisanal infant flours marketed in Côte d'Ivoire

The aim of this study was to determine the microbial diversity and mycotoxin profile of artisanal infant flours commonly vended in public healthcare centres and retail markets in Côte d'Ivoire. Thus, maize, millet, sorghum, soya and multigrain (mix of different cereals) flour samples collected from different localities were first, analysed for nutritional composition, then for microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing and for mycotoxins through UHPLC-MS/MS method. Firmicutes was the most abundant bacterial phylum and the dominant genera were Weissella, Staphylococcus, Pediococcus. Potential pathogenic genera such as Bacillus, Enterobacter, Acinetobacter and Burkholderia were also found. The fungal community was composed of two dominant phyla (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota) and 31 genera with > 0.1% relative abundance. In samples from public healthcare centres, Candida, Hyphopichia, Trichosporon, and Cyberlindnera were the most dominant genera according to the flour type while in samples from retail markets, they were Cyberlindnera, Clavispora, Nakaseomyces, Aureobasidium and Candida. Possible toxigenic genera Fusarium and Aspergillus were also detected. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), Ochractoxin (OTA), Fumonisin B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2) were the mycotoxins found in the analysed flours. AFB1 was detected in 100% of maize (range 1.2-120.5 µg/kg; mean: 44.2 µg/kg) and 50-83.3% of millet flours (range 0.2-31.5 µg/kg; mean: 31.5 µg/kg). Its level in all maize and rice flour samples exceeded EU standard (0.1 µg/kg). For OTA and fumonisins, millet and maize flours showed the highest levels of sample exceeding the EU standard. Thus, artisanal infant flours marketed in Côte d'Ivoire, mainly maize and rice flours, although containing potentially beneficial bacteria, represent potential health risks for children.

A review of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in feeds and food commodities in West Africa

Fungal contamination is a threat to food safety in West Africa with implications for food and feed due to their climate, which is characterised by high temperatures and high relative humidity, which are environmental favourable for fast fungal growth and mycotoxin production. This report gives perspective on studies on toxigenic fungi (Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium) and their toxins, mainly aflatoxins, fumonisins and ochratoxins commonly found in some West African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Only four of these countries have mycotoxins regulations in place for feeds and food products (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Senegal). Food commodities that are widely consumed and were thoroughly investigated in this region include cereals, peanuts, cassava chips (flakes), cassava flour, chilies, peanuts, locust beans, melon, and yam products. In conclusion, authorities and scientists needed to consider research and approaches to monitor mycotoxins in foods and feeds produced and consumed in West Africa.

Effectiveness and cost of an incentive-based intervention on food safety and income in “dibiteries” in Dakar, Senegal

Background

Rapid urbanisation in Sub-Saharan African cities such as Dakar, Senegal, leads to proliferation of informal braised meat restaurants known as “dibiteries”. Dibiteries do not often comply with minimal hygiene and food safety standards. The primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and cost of a good hygiene practice intervention, identify factors that incentivize hygiene improvement and how that impacts on dibiteries’ income.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial was carried out in Dakar dibiteries. The 120 random samples of braised meat were collected in three phases: (i) one-month pre-intervention, (ii) 2 months post-intervention, (iii) 10 months post-intervention. The trial comprised four groups of 10 dibiteries each: (a) (control) received no intervention, (b) a standardized training module, (c) a hygiene kit, (d) a training module and hygiene kit. Laboratory analysis of samples determined the total aerobic mesophilic flora (TAMF), thermotolerant coliforms (TC) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA). A questionnaire-based survey and focus group discussion were used to identify pre-intervention hygiene practices, and socioeconomic determinants of hygiene management in dibiteries post-intervention, respectively.

Results

Samples were found to be contaminated with TAMF, TC and SA. In phase 1, 27 and 13% of the samples contained TC and SA, respectively. In phase 2, no significant improvement of contamination rates was seen. In phase 3, microbiological quality of samples was significantly improved, with only 11.5% showing contamination with any of the bacterial species analysed (p < 0.1). Compared to the control group, only samples from dibiteries in group (b) had significantly reduced bacterial load in phase 3. The cost of intervention and hygiene improvement was estimated at 67 FCFA ($ 0.12) and 41 FCFA ($ 0.07) / day respectively and did not significantly impact on dibiterie profitability. Incentives to sustainably implement good hygiene practices were mainly linked to access to secure long-term workspaces.

Conclusion

This intervention may have worked, but globally the results are mixed and not quite significant. However, continuous training in good hygiene practice and access to secure and sustainable infrastructure for dibiterie restaurants are the incentives necessary to achieve sustainable investments and behavioural change. We recommend further intervention refinement and testing other factors for promoting the adoption of good hygiene practices in the dibiteries in relation to consumers health risk.

Aptamer-based detection of fumonisin B1: A critical review

Mycotoxin contamination is a current issue affecting several crops and processed products worldwide. Among the diverse mycotoxin group, fumonisin B1 (FB1) has become a relevant compound because of its adverse effects in the food chain. Conventional analytical methods previously proposed to quantify FB1 comprise LC-MS, HPLC-FLD and ELISA, while novel approaches integrate different sensing platforms and fluorescently labelled agents in combination with antibodies. Nevertheless, such methods could be expensive, time-consuming and require experience. Aptamers (ssDNA) are promising alternatives to overcome some of the drawbacks of conventional analytical methods, their high affinity through specific aptamer-target binding has been exploited in various designs attaining favorable limits of detection (LOD). So far, two aptamers specific to FB1 have been reported, and their modified and shortened sequences have been explored for a successful target quantification. In this critical review spanning the last eight years, we have conducted a systematic comparison based on principal component analysis of the aptamer-based techniques for FB1, compared with chromatographic, immunological and other analytical methods. We have also conducted an in-silico prediction of the folded structure of both aptamers under their reported conditions. The potential of aptasensors for the future development of highly sensitive FB1 testing methods is emphasized.