Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Microbial and Aflatoxins Analysis of Selected Cereal Flours Processed and Sold in Abakaliki Metropolis

Fidelis Azi, Ngozi U. Oledinma, Helen Amaka Njoku, Veronica N. Nwobasi, Amechi S. Nwankwegu

Advances in Research · pp. 1–8 · Published 10 Jul 2017

10.9734/AIR/2017/32890

Abstract

Aflatoxins are very potent mycotoxins produce by molds. Molds are very common pre-harvest and post harvest contaminant of cereals/cereal products. Despite improved handling, processing and storage of cereals, aflatoxins still remain a major problem in the cereal processing industry causing both health hazards and economic losses. Therefore, some researchers have suggested that in order to avoid the toxicity, the levels of aflatoxins and similar toxic compounds in foodstuffs have to be monitored closely, and be kept under control continuously. Otherwise, related health effects like acute and chronic intoxications, and even deaths, will still be an issue. Therefore, in this research the microbial and total aflatoxins analysis of selected cereal flours processed and sold in Abakaliki metropolis was carried out. A total of four cereal samples (maize, millet, sorghum and wheat) were studied. The total aflatoxins were analyzed using highly sensitive competitive Enzyme Link Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) reader. The cereal samples were also analyzed for total fungal count using digital colony counting machine (CCM China). The result showed that all the cereal flours (wheat, sorghum, millet and maize) analyzed were heavily contaminated with fungal cells. The flours also contain unacceptable levels of aflatoxins. The total aflatoxins were above the minimum acceptable limits (10 ppm) according to National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The millet and sorghum have the highest fungal and total aflatoxins concentrations while the wheat flour has the lowest fungal and total aflatoxins concentrations. There were significant difference (p<0.05) among the total aflatoxins level of the different cereal flours. The research also revealed that flours have high moisture content. It is therefore recommended that a more improved process line be put in place to ensure that all cereal flours sold in Abakaliki are produced using Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).  

Cereal aflatoxins mycotoxins ELISA NAFDAC

References (20)

  1. 1 Human aflatoxicosis in developing countries: a review of toxicology, exposure, potential health consequences, and interventions [DOI]
  2. 2 Toxicity, metabolism, and impact of mycotoxins on humans and animals [DOI]
  3. 3 Safety evaluation of certain mycotoxins in food
  4. 4 Buckwheat Seed Milling Fractions: Description, Macronutrient Composition and Dietary Fibre [DOI]
  5. 5 Distribution of microbial contamination within cereal grains [DOI]
  6. 6 Chemistry of Cereal Grains [DOI]
  7. 7 Determination of aflatoxin levels in some dairy and food products which consumed in Ankara, Turkey [DOI]
  8. 8 Reproductive health effects of aflatoxins: A review of the literature [DOI]
  9. 9 Aflatoxin. Scientific Background, Control and Implications [DOI]
  10. 10 Molecular structures of some wheat starches [DOI]
  11. 11 Effect of corn and peanut cultivation on soil populations of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in southwestern Georgia [DOI]
  12. 12 Mycotoxin contamination of commercially important agricultural commodities [DOI]
  13. 13 Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Food [DOI]
  14. 14 Factors Affecting Mycotoxin Production in Fruits [DOI]
  15. 15 Challenges in developing a whole grain database: Definitions, methods and quantification [DOI]
  16. 16 Survey of the occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in cheeses produced by dairy ewe’s milk in Urfa city, Turkey [DOI]
  17. 17 Occurrence of Aflatoxin in Some Food Commodities Commonly Consumed in Nigeria [DOI]
  18. 18 Total aflatoxin level and fungi contamination of maize and maize products [DOI]
  19. 19 Aflatoxins, nitrates and nitrites analysis in commercial cat and dog foods.
  20. 20 Effect of Varying Concentrations of Ethanol and Lime Extracts Pre - treatments on the Aflatoxins and Chemical Quality Characteristics of Stored Irvingia Seeds

Cited by 1

Evaluation of safety and health risk characterization of some baby foods in Ghana

J. Nyasordzi, Setutsinam Awude, N. Kortei · Scientific Reports · 2025

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

23

Page views

0

PDF downloads

3

Outbound clicks

1

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.