Determination of total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 in groundnuts and cereal-based street vended foods sold in selected locations in Thika Town, Kenya: Total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 in street vended foods

Johnson Mwove; Samuel Imathiu; Irene Orina; Paul Karanja

doi:10.48165/jfdr.2022.2.3.1

Authors

Johnson Mwove Department of Human Nutrition Sciences, School of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
Samuel Imathiu Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2648-1562
Irene Orina Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5917-8442
Paul Karanja Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0791-4350

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48165/jfdr.2022.2.3.1

Keywords:

Total aflatoxin, Aflatoxin B1, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, street vended foods, food safety

Abstract

Objective: Food contamination with mycotoxins such as aflatoxin in street vended foods is a public health concern in Kenya. The objective of this study was to determine the level of aflatoxins in street vended foods sold in six locations within Thika Town, Kenya.

Methods: A total of 36 samples consisting of cereal and cereal based foods and groundnuts were randomly collected for analysis. Screening for aflatoxins was done using NEOGEN^®'s Reveal® Q+ for Aflatoxin test kit while quantification of aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin was done through a competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: Total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 in street vended groundnuts averaged between 4.420 - 14.241 µg/kg and 3.431-11.289 µg/kg, respectively. Thika town center had significantly (p=0.0012) highest total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 level in groundnuts. On average 16.7% and 44.4% of groundnut samples had total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 levels above the regulatory limits of 10 μg/kg and 5 μg/kg established by the Kenya Bereau of Standards as limits for total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 in groundnuts, respectively. Compared to the 4 μg/kg and 2 μg/kg limit set by the European Union for total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1, 72.2% and 100% of the samples were above these limits, respectively.

Conclusion: This abundance of high levels of aflatoxins, especially aflatoxin B1, highlights the need for Kenya to take the necessary steps to effectively manage aflatoxins in ready to eat foods.

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