Several emissions from bacteria and fungi, according to research, have been found to be dangerous and have colossal impact on human health, as well as the market value of agricultural produce.
One of such toxic emissions, Aflatoxin, a byproduct of fungi, is said to be carcinogenic in nature and is dominant in grains, particularly maize and groundnuts.
From studies, Aflatoxins have been indicated as a significant threat to the health of grain consumers, while they also serve as barriers to the growth of commercial markets for food and feeds.
Owing to this, attention to aflatoxin issues from policymakers, have increased in recent years, with growing recognition of the health hazards and economic impact.
Factors Spurring Growth of Aflatoxins
Aflatoxin contamination is becoming more or less inevitable in food commodities, as a result of the promoting factors involved in its production.
These factors could be extrinsic: temperature; relative humidity; soil properties; mechanical injury on food commodity; insects and rodents attack; or intrinsic (pH, nutrient composition, and moisture content or water activity).
However, they do not work in isolation. Two or more factors may have to be considered before fungal growth and corresponding toxin production can be effected.
Health Risks From Aflatoxin Contamination
Aflatoxin contaminations (both acute and chronic) pose risks to health. Exposure to aflatoxins is particularly high for low-income populations that consume relatively large quantities of staples such as maize or groundnuts.
Also, consumption of very high levels of aflatoxins can result in acute illness and death. It is well established that chronic exposure to aflatoxins can lead to liver cancer, immune suppression and higher rates of illness.
For infants, exposure is associated with stunting, but the specific role of aflatoxins in stunting is still under investigation same as a dose-response relationship.
Studies on animals also provide ample evidence that high levels of aflatoxins in animal feeds have adverse effects on animal health, growth, and productivity.
Measures for Aflatoxin Control
Growth of the molds that produce aflatoxins is affected by multiple factors which makes the control complex thus, good management practices such as timely planting, drought stress control, weed, and pest control, early harvesting, good sanitation, proper cleaning and sorting of agricultural produce should be greatly encouraged.
These practices would help eliminate or reduce to the lowest degree conditions and factors that promote fungal infestation and aflatoxin infection.
Crop rotation can also help to reduce aflatoxin prevalence in crops by breaking the cycles and build-ups of toxin-producing microorganisms, and thus could be employed.
Furthermore, the cultivation of resistant varieties would help control the spread of the toxin. This is particularly possible when aflatoxin inhibitory compounds are identified and used in the breeding of new cereal and leguminous varieties. Knowledge of resistant varieties should also be sought from plant breeders before cultivation.
Quick and proper drying of cereals and legumes soon after harvest may help limit Aspergillus flavus proliferation and toxin production. This must be done to a moisture level of about 10 percent.
Storage conditions such as temperature and relative humidity should be well controlled to minimize fungal activity and aflatoxin development in cereals and legumes.
Building appropriate storage structures to control temperature and relative humidity to ensure effective drying of food crops should be encouraged as traditional drying techniques involving field and bare ground drying immensely contribute to fungal contamination.
Cereals and legumes such as millet, rice, guinea corn, beans, bambara beans and soybean which are relatively less susceptible to the toxin, compared to maize and groundnut.
For complementary feeding, alternative food crops such as root and tuber food crops should be encouraged.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA
