Aflatoxins in stored maize, maize flours, and stiff porridge consumed in schools: A case study of Dodoma region, Tanzania

Abstract

Aflatoxins, the mycotoxins produced as secondary metabolites by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, are the most common known food contaminants implicated with liver cancer and lethal aflatoxicosis outbreaks. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of total aflatoxins in stored maize, maize flour, and stiff porridge consumed in schools in Dodoma Region. Maize (n = 52), maize flour (n = 50), and stiff porridge (n = 34) samples were collected from different schools in Dodoma Region and analyzed for total aflatoxins using Direct Competitive Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Aflatoxins were detected in 69.2, 72, and 29.4% of the stored maize, maize flour, and stiff porridge samples at concentration ranges: 1.6–86.6 ng/g, 1.5–60.1 ng/g, and 1.8–55.1 ng/g, respectively. The results showed that 33, 28, and 8.8% of stored maize, maize flour, and stiff porridge were contaminated with total aflatoxins above the Maximum Tolerable Level (MTL) of 10 ng/g. Thus, the total aflatoxins detected in food samples consumed in schools in Dodoma show that consumers are at risk of aflatoxin hazards through the consumption of contaminated food from maize.