Simultaneous occurrence of mycotoxins in human food commodities from Cameroon

Abstract

Eighty-two samples of dried food commodities from Cameroon were screened and quantified for different mycotoxins, including fumonisin B1 (FB1), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), aflatoxin (AF) and ochratoxin A (OTA), by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. The percentage of positive samples was as follows: FB1 41%, AF 51%, ZEA 57%, DON 65% and OTA 3%. High FB1 contents were found in maize, averaging 3,684µg/kg (range: 37-24,225µg/kg), whereas the highest average ZEA level was found in peanuts (70µg/kg), followed by maize (69µg/kg), rice (67µg/kg) and beans (48µg/kg) with no ZEA was detected in soybeans. DON contents were low, ranging from 13 to 273µg/kg, and for AF the average content was 2.6µg/kg with peanuts and maize as principal substrates. The incidence of OTA was low, with a mean level of 6.4µg/kg recorded. The majority (79%) of samples contained more than one mycotoxin and the most frequent co-occurrence found was FB1 + ZEA + DON, detected in 21% of samples (mainly maize) analysed. Co-contamination with FB1 + ZEA + DON + AF was found in 11% of the samples. Although a large proportion of samples had fairly low levels of individual mycotoxins, this should be of concern as the co-occurrence of mycotoxins may generate additive or synergistic effect in humans, especially if the respective commodities are consumed almost on a daily basis.