Distribution of fungi and their toxic metabolites in melon and sesame seeds marketed in two major producing states in Ni
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Distribution of fungi and their toxic metabolites in melon and sesame seeds marketed in two major producing states in Nigeria Adetoun O. Esan 1 & Stephen O. Fapohunda 1 & Chibundu N. Ezekiel 1,2
&
Michael Sulyok 2 & Rudolf Krska 2,3
Received: 2 August 2019 / Revised: 17 June 2020 / Accepted: 7 July 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract In this study, melon (n = 60) and sesame (n = 60) seeds purchased from markets within Benue and Nasarawa states, respectively, in Nigeria, during two seasons (dry and wet), were analysed for fungal and mycotoxin contamination in order to determine the safety of these foods for human consumption. Molecular analysis revealed the following seven fungal taxonomic groups in the foods: Aspergillus section Candidi, Aspergillus section Flavi, Aspergillus section Nigri, Cladosporium, Fusarium fujikuroi species group, Penicillium, and Pleosporales/Didymellaceae. A total of 78 microbial metabolites, including several mycotoxins, occurred in the foods. The most frequent mycotoxins in melon and sesame were aflatoxin B1 (occurrence: 76%) and alternariol monomethyl ether (occurrence: 59%), respectively. However, higher mean total aflatoxin levels occurred in sesame (17 μg kg−1) than in melon (11 μg kg−1). About 28 and 5% of melon and sesame, respectively, exceeded the 4 μg kg−1 total aflatoxin limit for oilseeds intended for direct human consumption in the European Union. Additionally, fumonisin B1 and moniliformin occurred only in sesame, whilst ochratoxins A and B occurred only in melon; ochratoxin B being reported for the first time in this food. Our data indicated seasonal variations in the fungal and mycotoxin contamination levels in both foods. Keywords Food safety . Melon . Mycology . Mycotoxins . Sesame
Introduction Mycotoxin contamination of food resulting from fungal invasion and subsequent biosynthesis of the toxic secondary metabolites is a global challenge, posing a huge hurdle to availability of safe food in regions (e.g. sub-Saharan Africa) where food safety systems are poorly developed (Ezekiel et al. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-020-00400-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Chibundu N. Ezekiel [email protected] 1
Department of Microbiology, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria
2
Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA–Tulln), Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro–Metabolomics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Konrad Lorenzstr. 20, A–3430 Tulln, Austria
3
Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
2019). Poor agricultural practices and substandard postharvest food handling facilities together with climate change, characterized with sporadic fluctuations of temperature, rainfall patterns and drought, have been suggested to raise mycotoxin levels and increase food safety risks in the coming years (Me
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