Aflatoxin Contamination of a Common Traditional Brew (Busaa), and Nutritional Status of Imbibers in Mumias East Sub- County

Abstract

The consumption of traditional and local brews is widespread in most of the developing countries, and this narrows down to the various remote and urban areas in most parts of our country Kenya. Mumias East Sub-County of Kakamega County is largely affected by the traditional brews, including busaa. Excessive indulgence has always resulted in poor health and other social and domestic issues that affect families. The general objective of this study was to determine the levels of aflatoxin in a common traditional brew (busaa) and to assess the nutritional status of the imbibers in Mumias East Sub- County. A cross sectional study design with an analytical approach was used, with one hundred imbimbers randomly selected in the study area. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to gather information on the participants' demographic characteristics such as occupation, level of education, age, gender, ethnicity, geographical place of birth and the current town of residence. Information on food consumption patterns was collected using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire adapted from Harvard University but modified to suit the foods consumed by people living in Mumias-East Sub-County. About 81% of the study participants were men whereas women were 19%. The study further revealed that 77% of the participants were married, 20% were single, 1% were widowed and 2% were divorced. Majority of the study participants were men, an indicator that men consume busaa more than women and therefore indicating that men are more likely to be affected by the busaa if they consumed large amounts of aflatoxin in the busaa. A large number of the sample population belonged to the age bracket of below 40 years; with a mean age of 39 years meaning that most of the respondents were within the productive age. Household size was between 5 and 8 members, with each household earning KES 2,000 - 25,000. Household size has an influence on livelihood and food security of households, xvi especially for poor rural households who constituted a majority of the respondents. The greater the household size; the greater the possibility of per capita income of less than a dollar a day. Illiteracy levels were very high among the respondents with only 10% of the respondents having attained higher education whereas 64% had either dropped out in primary school or completed primary school education; 10% completed secondary school education while 14% dropped out of secondary school. Only 2% of the study population never attended school completely. Majority of the respondents (52%) earned a living through farming. About 27% of the respondents were casual labourers, 7% engaged in formal employment, 6% earned a living through business activities, 3% were students whereas 5% of the respondents were unemployed. Ten samples of busaa were collected in duplicate from ten busaa dens for laboratory analysis at Kenya Bureau of Standards headquarters that is based in Nairobi. The results revealed that the average level of aflatoxin in the busaa samples was 2.699 mg/kg, with levels varying from as low as 0.31 mg/kg to as high as 14.86 mg/kg. It was interesting to note that Sample 10 had the highest level of aflatoxin at 14.86 mg/kg, a high that was attributed to the fact that this particular brew was still undergoing fermentation. Majority of the respondents had a normal BMI, an indicator of good nutritional status. However, best practices should be embaraced to ensure that their nutritional status does not detoreriate due to over indulgence. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the county government educates the citizens on the negative impacts of over indulgence in traditional brews and other illicit alcoholic drinks. In addition, the county government should sensitise the local community on the importance of proper sanitation and food safety standards.