Abstract
Concern for food safety has continued to grow worldwide including the issue of mycotoxin contamination of food products from farm to fork. In this regard, soya bean seeds and processed soya bean powder bought from some Nigerian markets were screened for fungal and mycotoxin contamination. Fungal identification was done by both conventional and molecular methods after samples were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA), ohio agricultural experimental station agar (OAESA), malt extract agar (MEA) and czapek yeast agar (CYA). Mycotoxin analysis by thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography was done after extraction and clean-up by multi-mycotoxin extraction procedure and solid phase extraction (SPE) isolute strong ion exchange (SAX) columns. Results from the analysis showed that soya bean seeds had higher incidences of fungal species such as Alternaria (52.4%) and Aspergillus flavus (42.9%). Mycotoxins detected include aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and fumonisin B with highest concentration of 3.430 μg/g, 0.125 μg/g and 4.286 μg/g respectively, which were below regulatory limits. The study showed that there was co-occurrence of aflatoxins and fumonisin B1 in both sample types and though these values are low, should not be ignored as a result of health risks associated with exposure to these compounds.
Highlights
Rich in nutrients, soya bean is a good source of protein and dietary fiber and has been reported to be the only vegetable with complete protein having the ability to lower LDL levels [1]
Fungal identification was done by both conventional and molecular methods after samples were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA), ohio agricultural experimental station agar (OAESA), malt extract agar (MEA) and czapek yeast agar (CYA)
Results from the analysis showed that soya bean seeds had higher incidences of fungal species such as Alternaria (52.4%) and Aspergillus flavus (42.9%)
Summary
Soya bean is a good source of protein and dietary fiber and has been reported to be the only vegetable with complete protein having the ability to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels [1]. Cultivation of soya bean in Nigeria started in the 1900s at a small scale in the northern part of the country, and spread fast to other parts of the country [3]. There are reports of mycotoxin contamination of many food commodities [7] [8] [9] including seeds and legumes [10] [11] [12], which soya bean belongs to. These mycotoxins are known to have very adverse health effects including carcinogenic, immunosuppressive, mutagenic and cytotoxic effects [4] [13]. Some of the major occurring mycotoxins have been classified as carcinogens by the International agency for Research on cancer with aflatoxins being one of such mycotoxins [14] [15] [16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
