Aflacontrol: Improving lives of people in Africa

Narrod, Clare A.; Wu, Felicia; Waliyar, Farid; Hellin, Jonathan

Aflacontrol: Improving lives of people in Africa

Autores

Editor

International Food Policy Research Institute

Descripción

Aflatoxin is a toxic substance emitted by fungi that are abundant in agricultural soils; these funti colonize maize and groundnuts as well as other crops. The fungi primarily infect plants subject to stress such as drought or pests, although any field conditions could lead to fungal colonization. Moreover, mold growth accelerates in poor food storage conditions, which also results in high levels of aflatoxin. Chronic exposure to the toxin can result in liver cancer, abortion, immune suppression, and stunting. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates 4.5 billion people in developing countries are chronically exposed to aflatoxins. Acute exposure can be fatal. In Kenya, 317 cases of illness and 125 deaths were attributed to aflatoxin present in locally grown maize in 2004. Unfortunately, however, with the exception of liver cancer and aflatoxicosis, the health problems that result from aflatoxin exposure are poorly understood. Aflatoxins cannot be completely eliminated, so most developed countries regulate the permissible levels of the toxin allowed in human food. This is done through good production and post-harvest practices, in addition to stringent food safety monitoring and standards. In the US, dip sticks may be used to indicate whether a sample is above or below the regulatory limit of 20 ppb (parts per billion). There are also lab-based technologies such as thin layer chromatography, ultra violet light, and Elisa tests. Some are highly expensive. The application of such strategies is difficult in developing countries because of different production systems such as a subsistence farms, declining available farm land that makes rotations impossible, and a lack of resources, technology, and infrastructure for optimal drying and storage practices. Testing of crops/products in Africa, if done at all, is done primarily through visual inspections. Contaminated products, if detected, are separated and may be consumed by the farmers themselves or intermixed with non-infected products.