Mycotoxin Contamination in Different Food Commodities in Bangladesh

Introduction:   Mycotoxins can appear in the food chain as a result of fungal contamination.  Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus are very common moulds that can colonize grains, maize, nuts, spices, and other food commodities before harvest, post-harvest, or during storage. Aflatoxins in foods are demonstrated chemical hazards and are the main cause of food export rejections from tropical countries to Europe/USA.

Purpose:  For the first time in Bangladesh, different food commodities collected from Dhaka markets were screened for aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2.

Methods: The commodities screened included turmeric powder, chili powder, green nut, peanut, corn, wheat flour, rice, chira, fish feed, cattle feed, bread, and several types of dal, used by most households. For the analysis, food samples were extracted with phosphate buffer and cleaned-up through immunoafinity columns. Aflatoxins were determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector with a cobra cell on-line derivatisation unit (HPLC-FLD). The method was verified in terms of specificity, precision and recovery prior to analysis.

Results:  This study revealed that 37% of analysed foodstuffs contained detectable quantities of afltatoxins. Mainly, aflatoxins were detected in rice, chilli, fish feed, and corn. Levels of aflatoxins were, however, below Codex MRLs (15 ppb). Only one sample of corn contained 40.26 ppb aflatoxin, exceeding Codex MRLs. Bread, chira, aloe vera , mung dal, anchor dal, wheat, and wheat flour were free from aflatoxins.

Significance: The implementation of adequate pre-harvest and post-harvest practices and storage conditions can prevent the contamination of foodstuffs with moulds and prevent the presence of aflatoxins. The adoption of these measures in Bangladesh will improve overall public health and bring new opportunities for international trade.