Fungal Diversity and Aflatoxins in Maize and Rice Grains and Cassava-Based Flour (Pupuru) from Ondo State, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT: Grains and cassava-based foods serve as major dietary sources for many households in Nigeria. However, these foods are highly prone to contamination by moulds and aflatoxins owing to poor storage and vending practices. Therefore, we studied the fungal diversity in maize, cassava-based flour (pupuru), and rice vended in markets from Ondo state, Nigeria, and assessed their aflatoxin levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Molecular analysis of 65 representative fungal isolates recovered from the ground grains and pupuru samples revealed 26 species belonging to five genera: Aspergillus (80.9%), Penicillium (15.4%), and Talaromyces (1.9%) in the Ascomycota; Syncephalastrum (1.2%) and Lichtheimia (0.6%) in Mucoromycota. Aspergillus

SUBMITTER: Ekpakpale DO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8397998 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature