Risk Assessment of Aflatoxins in Maize-Groundnuts Complementary Foods Consumed by Ghanaian Infants
Journal Title: Journal of Food Quality and Hazards Control - Year 2020, Vol 7, Issue 3
Abstract
Background: Complementary foods are given to infants when breast milk alone becomes insufficient in meeting their nutritional needs. The major objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Aflatoxins (AFs) in Weanimix complementary foods purchased from shops in Accra (Ghana), and to estimate risk of liver cancer development in infants. Methods: In total, 32 samples of Weanimix were purchased from shops in Accra, an urban centre and analyzed for AFs by Reverse-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC). Previously published data on levels of AFs in Weanimix prepared in rural households were also collected. The data was analyzed to estimate infants’ daily exposure to AFs as well as the risk of liver cancer development. Results: AFs levels of 18.8% of samples were above the maximum permitted limit of 10 µg/kg. The minimum and maximum levels of total AFs detected in all samples were 2.51 and 98.87 µg/kg, respectively with a mean value of 16.43 µg/kg. Exposure assessment showed that the minimum and maximum daily AFs exposures were 0.044 and 2.805 µg/kg bw/d, respectively for Weanimix from rural households; these rates for Weanimix purchased from urban shops were 0.014 and 0.55 µg/kg bw/d, respectively. The chances of liver cancer development would increase to 0.6 per year if infants were fed on Weanimix prepared in rural households with minimum AF level of 7.9 µg/kg. Conclusion: The infants fed on Weanimix prepared in rural households would be at a higher risk of AF exposure and liver cancer development than infants fed on Weanimix purchased from urban shops of Ghana.
Authors and Affiliations
R. Omari, G. Anyebuno
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP688523
- DOI 10.18502/jfqhc.7.3.4144
- Views 130
- Downloads 0
Parasitic Contamination of Common Vegetables Sold in Lusaka, Zambia
Background: Consumption of raw or unhygienically prepared vegetables is a potential source of parasitic infection. This study aimed to establish the prevalence and types of intestinal parasites on the freshly sold vegeta...
Optimization, Partial Purification, and Characterization of Bioactive Peptides of Lactobacillus paracasei Isolated from Traditional Egyptian Cheese
Background: Bacteriocins are small peptides which are ribosomally synthesized and have been shown to have wide range of antimicrobial activity. The aim of this study was to optimize the production of L. paracasei MG84758...
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characteristics of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Dairy and Meat Products in Iran
Background: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) plays an important role in gastrointestinal diseases. The goal of this research was to determine phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of MRSA isolated fr...
Molecular Identification of Toxoplasma gondii in the Native Slaughtered Cattle of Tehran Province, Iran
Background: Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a common parasitic disease, affecting almost one-third of the world’s population. It is transmitted by ingestion of food or water contaminated with oocysts excre...
Microbiological Status and Quality Traits of Ready-to-Eat Minimally Processed Vegetables Sold in Córdoba, Argentina
Background: The changes and the availability of processed foods have increased the demand for ready-to-eat foods, such as Minimally Processed Vegetables (MPVs). The purpose of this work was to evaluate the microbiologica...