Abstract
The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of the crop season, cultivation region, and traditional pre- and post-harvest agricultural practices on mycotoxin contamination in the Mekong Delta rice chain of Vietnam. The results showed that aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs) were predominantly detected in both paddy (n = 91/184, 50%) and white rice (n = 9/46, 20%). Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-contaminated paddy samples (n = 3) exceeded the regulatory threshold (5 µg·kg−1). The contamination of paddy with AFs and FBs was not significantly different by growing seasons and cultivation localities. Evidently, in the winter–spring season, fumonisins frequently occurred in paddy planted in Can Tho, while AFs were found in paddy planted in regions Dong Thap and An Giang, and such toxins were absent in Can Tho. Furthermore, the selection of paddy varieties strongly impacted the occurrence of these toxins, especially AFs, for example, line DT8 and Jasmine were susceptible to AFs and FBs. In addition, poor pre- and post-harvest practices (such as crop residue-free fields, fertilizer application, unsanitary means of transport, delayed drying time) had an impact on the AFs and FBs contamination. Our findings can help to understand the dynamics of AFs and FBs in the rice chain in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, leading to the mitigation of the contamination of AFs and FBs in rice.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods besides wheat and maize
AFs are classified as Group 1 [8], causing 5–28% of all global hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases [9], while FBs are classified as group 2B [8]
A parallel study of fungal infection in the rice chain revealed that A. flavus and F. proliferatum were dominant species in paddy, which frequently occurred in the winter–spring and autumn–winter crop in Can Tho paddy and alongside poor pre-and post-harvest agricultural practices
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods besides wheat and maize. Rice is a vital food and a pivotal export product for Vietnamese people [1]. Vietnam was the world’s second biggest rice exporting country, with an export volume of 6.15 million tons in 2020 [2]. Rice is an appropriate substrate for the growth of toxigenic fungi, such as Aspergillus and Fusarium under conducive conditions [5,6]. These plant pathogens are widespread in nature and capable of producing mycotoxins [6,7]. 15% of rice production is lost in developing countries due to fungal plant pathogens [12]
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