Market samples as a source of chronic aflatoxin exposure in Kenya
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Date
2012Author
Okoth, Sheila A
Kola, Margaret A
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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Surveillance of food and feed quality in Kenya has not reached effective level due to the expensive procedures of
mycotoxin analysis and poor structures in quality control. Most foodstuffs and feeds sold in local markets do not
go through any quality control measures. The outbreaks of aflatoxicoses every year since the major outbreak
that occurred in 2004 (CDC, 2004; Muture and Ogana, 2005, Azziz-Baumgartner et al., 2005) suggests that the
population is exposed to aflatoxins in their diet. Chronic exposure could be a more serious problem than the
outbreaks of aflatoxicosis that attract attention at the time they occur. This paper analyses the extent to which
market food and feed samples expose the residents of urban Nairobi Province to aflatoxins. Using TLC method
of aflatoxins analysis, maize for food and feed samples collected randomly as part of routine surveillance
between the years 2006-2009 were tested. Only 17% of the total maize sampled and 5% of feed were fit for
human and animal consumption respectively. Maize Grain Grade 11 and maize milled products were
significantly highly contaminated compared with Maize Grain Grade 1 throughout the period of sampling.
There was no significant difference in level of contamination among the feeds tested.
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