Co-occurrence of aflatoxin B₁, fumonisin B₁, ochratoxin A and zearalenone in cereals and peanuts from Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

This survey examined 30 samples of rice (n = 10), maize (n = 10) and peanuts (n = 10) from Côte d’Ivoire for aflatoxin B₁, fumonisin B₁ and zearalenone using immunoassays, and ochratoxin A using a validated HPLC method with fluorescence detection. In Côte d’Ivoire, as in other countries, several mycotoxins are present in the same commodities. These mycotoxins are from different structural families: aflatoxin B₁, fumonisin B₁, zearalenone and ochratoxin A, normally produced by fungal species from Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genera. Some samples contained four mycotoxins (86%). Four peanuts samples did not show ochratoxin A (14%), whereas they contained aflatoxin B₁ concentrations above the EU regulatory limits. Concentrations of ochratoxin A, zearalenone and fumonisin B₁ were low and may not cause problems per se; however, fears remain that the tolerable daily intake may be exceeded due to eating habits and synergistic effects could be important with the combination of several mycotoxins. Investigations in this direction are underway, together with isolation and characterization of the fungal species involved.

Keywords:

• Aflatoxin B1
• fumonisin B1
• zearalenone
• ochratoxin A
• co-occurrence
• Côte d’Ivoire