Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium proliferatum and F. pseudonygamai on maize, sorghum and pearl millet grains in vitro.

Maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) are basic staple foods for many rural or poorer communities. These crops are susceptible to plant diseases caused by multiple species of Fusarium, some of which also produce mycotoxins, including fumonisins and moniliformin that are detrimental to both humans and domesticated animals. Eighteen potentially toxigenic Fusarium strains were isolated from maize (n = 10), sorghum (n = 7) and pearl millet (n = 1) growing in the same field in Nigeria.

Peanuts, Aflatoxins and Undernutrition in Children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Peanuts () is an important and affordable source of protein in most of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and a popular commodity and raw material for peanut butter, paste and cooking oil. It is a popular ingredient for foods used at the point of weaning infants from mother's milk. It is at this critical point that childhood undernutrition occurs and the condition manifests as stunting, wasting and growth restriction and accounts for nearly half of all deaths in children under five years of age in SSA.

Mycotoxin contamination of home-grown maize in rural northern South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces).

The aim of this study was to assess mycotoxin contamination of crops grown by rural subsistence farmers over two seasons (2011 and 2012) in two districts, Vhembe District Municipality (VDM, Limpopo Province) and Gert Sibande District Municiality (GSDM, Mpumalanga Province), in northern South Africa and to evaluate its impact on farmers' productivity and human and animal health. A total of 114 maize samples were collected from 39 households over the two seasons and were analysed using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry mycotoxins method. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) occurrence ranged from 1 to 133 µg kg(-1) in VDM while AFB1 levels in GSDM were less than 1.

Natural occurrence of aflatoxins in peanuts and peanut butter from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that may contaminate food and pose a health risk, especially in developing countries, where there is a lack of food security and quality is subsumed by food insufficiency. Aflatoxins are the most toxic known mycotoxins and are a significant risk factor for liver and kidney cancer, teratogenicity, undernutrition, and micronutrient malabsorption in both humans and animals. The main aim of the study was to determine the extent of fungal and aflatoxin contamination in peanuts and peanut butter being sold in both the formal and informal markets in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Mycological and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts sold at markets in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pretoria, South Africa.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important food crop in sub-Saharan Africa. In this survey, the mycological and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts collected from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pretoria, South Africa, was assessed.