Fungi Profiling and Aflatoxin B1 Level of Maize from Minna, Niger State

ABSTRACT Fungi and their associated mycotoxins remain a significant threat to farmers, consumers and food regulators. They damage the quality of agricultural crop commodities and impact negatively on food safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of fungi species and aflatoxin B1 level in maize from Minna, Niger state. Nine (9) samples of maize were collected from 3 farms, 3 markets and 3 stores located within Minna, Niger. Standard procedure was used to isolate the fungi species. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was extracted by solid-liquid extraction process and quantified by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The occurrence of fungi was found to be highest in farm samples (36.73%), with market samples at 34.69% and store samples at 28.57%. The population frequency of Aspergillus, a notable aflatoxigenic genus was higher than other fungal genera (53%), Penicillium and Fusarium at 23% and 20% respectively with Rhizopus and Macrosporum being the least frequent in the hierarchy at 2% each. Store samples contained the highest concentration of AFB1 with a mean concentration of 45.53 ± 10.09 μg/g. While the lowest concentration was found in maize samples from farms at a mean concentration of 16.77 ± 11.68. The mean concentration in market samples was found to be 43.4 ± 6.86. Aflatoxin B1 was detected beyond the 4 μg/g maximum permissible limits set by the European Union (EU) in all samples. These findings raise public health concerns and increased risks for consumers and have a negative impact on trade. This study encourages farmers to implement good agricultural practices and urges regulatory bodies to strictly enforce limits, thereby reducing the health risks posed by these contaminants.