Evaluation of the Total Aflatoxin Level in Certain Cereals and Legumes Highly Consumed in Mali

Abstract

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) reaffirmed lofty and ambitious goals on seven main issues. Similarly, the Consolidated Action Plan for Africa (CAAP) has set priority science and technology projects. The achievement of an essential objective; common to both, namely: "Agriculture and food security", will strongly depend on the good knowledge and sustainable use of biological diversity, particularly microbial. Mali depends largely on agriculture and needs an annual growth of 6% or more in this sector to achieve sustainable development in general. However, the contamination of cereals and legumes essential to reduce food insecurity in Africa, aggravated by the proliferation of toxigenic fungi, constitutes a main constraint to the supply of healthy foods. However, in order to optimally target and implement these options, it is imperative that mycotoxin contamination is quantified and mapped. Three hundred and eighty-four (384) representative samples (1-2 kg per sample) were collected from different markets in Koutiala, S?gou, Bamako and Koulikoro in 2018 and 2020 to determine their fungal flora, the natural incidence of mycotoxins. All samples analyzed were contaminated with fungi, in the range of 1.2.105 to 33.5.105 CFU/g. SAS software was used for all analyzes and differences were considered significant when p<0.05. All cereals analyzed contain aflatoxins. Because of the high consumption and high levels of aflatoxins in beans and maize in the samples analyzed, we suggest periodic monitoring and the application of Hazard Analysis and Control (HACCP) prevention and control of mycotoxins in the production and industry of human food in Mali.