Regional sub-saharan africa total diet study in benin, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria reveals the presence of 164 mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites in foods

Luc Ingenbleek (1, 2) , Michael Sulyok (3) , Abimbola Adegboye (4) , Sètondji Epiphane Hossou (5) , Abdoulaye Zié Kone (6) , Awoyinka Dada Oyedele (4) , Chabi Sika K. J. Kisito (7) , Yara Koreissi Dembélé (8) , Sara Eyangoh (1) , Philippe Verger (9) , Jean-Charles Leblanc (10) , Bruno Le Bizec (2) , Rudolf Krska (11, 3)

1 Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
2 LABERCA - Laboratoire d'étude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments
3 Department IFA-Tulln
4 Food and Drug Admin
5 Agence Béninoise de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments
6 ANSES - Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail
7 Laboratoire Central de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments
8 Laboratoire de technologie alimentaire
9 World Health Organization
10 FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
11 QUB - Queen's University [Belfast]

In the framework of the first multi-centre Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study (SSA-TDS), 2328 commonly consumed foods were purchased, prepared as consumed and pooled into 194 composite samples of cereals, tubers, legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds, dairy, oils, beverages and miscellaneous. Those core foods were tested for mycotoxins and other fungal, bacterial and plant secondary metabolites by liquid chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The highest aflatoxin concentrations were quantified in peanuts, peanut oil and maize. The mean concentration of the sum of aflatoxins AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 (AF(tot)) in peanut samples (56.4 mu g/kg) exceeded EU (4 mu g/kg) and Codex (15 mu g/kg) standards. The AF(tot) concentration (max: 246.0 mu g/kg) was associated with seasonal and geographic patterns and comprised, on average, 80% AFB1, the most potent aflatoxin. Although ochratoxin A concentrations rarely exceeded existing Codex standards, it was detected in unregulated foods. One palm oil composite sample contained 98 different metabolites, including 35.4 mu g/kg of ochratoxin A. In total, 164 different metabolites were detected, with unspecific metabolites like asperglaucide, cyclo(L-pro-L-val), cyclo (L-pro-L-tyr), flavoglaucin, emodin and tryptophol occurring in more than 50% of composite samples. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), sterigmatocystin (STC), ochratoxin A (OTA), citrinin (CIT) and many other secondary fungal metabolites are frequent co-contaminants in staple foods, such as maize and sorghum. Populations from North Cameroon and from Benin may, therefore, suffer chronic and simultaneous exposure to AFB1, FB1, STC, OTA and CIT, which are prevalent in their diet.

Mots clés: total diet study; food contaminants; LC-MS; MS

Mots clés: Sub-Saharan Africa; aflatoxins; mycotoxins

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Luc Ingenbleek, Michael Sulyok, Abimbola Adegboye, Sètondji Epiphane Hossou, Abdoulaye Zié Kone, et al.. Regional sub-saharan africa total diet study in benin, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria reveals the presence of 164 mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites in foods. Toxins, 2019, 11 (1), pp.1-23. ⟨10.3390/toxins11010054⟩. ⟨hal-02627197⟩