Articles - Green Reports

Abstract

This study aimed to assess Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and micotoxigenic fungi in roasted cashew nuts from selected factories and market sites in Maputo, Mozambique. A total of 45 samples were analysed for their defective nuts percentage, moisture content percentage, mycotoxin producing fungi incidence, Aflatoxin B1 quantification via Elisa (Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay). Risk exposure assessment of AFB1 were further analysed using Provisional Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake (PMTDI). Defective nuts were (38%) with an overall mean moisture content percentage of (3.3%). The fungi species isolated were; Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus Niger, Fusarium sp. and Penicillium sp., with mean occurrence rates of 3.7%, 7.23%, 13.92% and 11.6 % respectively. The Aflatoxin B1 concentration levels ranged between 0-4 μg/kg, having an overall mean value of 1.3 μg/kg below the EU limit of 2 μg/kg. For the risk assessment, the mean exposure to AFB1 for 20 g and 50 g were 0.43 kg-1 BW and 1.08 kg-1 BW respectively. The factory samples had lower occurrences under all parameters. Furthermore, the plain (unflavoured) kernels were averagely higher in AFB1 concentrations compared to the flavoured kernels. The low mean occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi and Afb1 concentration depicts that the Mozambican cashew nuts are safe for exports and consumption, since the majority did not exceed the acceptable limits for AFB1 set by the EU, Codex and other importing countries.