Molds and Mycotoxins in Foods from Burundi†

Abstract

Molds were isolated from various foods from Burundi and identified. The ability of these molds to produce aflatoxins, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), and fumonisins, and the presence of these toxins in the foods were determined. Fusarium moniliforme was the predominant mold isolated from corn. It was also one of the dominant molds isolated from sorghum and sorghum meal. Very few molds were isolated from polished rice, millet, and millet meal. F. semitectum and F. equiseti were the most common molds isolated from haricot and mung beans. F. semitectum was also the predominant mold in peanuts. Peas (Pisum sativum) were predominantly contaminated with Aspergillus ochraceus and A. wentii. The predominant molds isolated from dried nonsalted Ndagala fish (Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae) were A. flavus, A. niger and A. sydowi. Dried crushed cassava (Manihot esculenta) tubers and cassava flour were predominantly contaminated with Penicillium citrinum, P. corylophilum, and P. chrysogenum. Very few molds were isolated from the infant food Musalac™. Thirty-seven of 95 isolates of A. flavus and all 5 isolates of A. parasiticus produced aflatoxins. Sixty-seven of the 95 isolates of A. flavus produced CPA, and all aflatoxin-producing A. flavus produced CPA. Ten of 20 isolates of A. oryzae and A. tamarii produced CPA. Fifty-one of 56 isolates of F. moniliforme and all 4 isolates of F. proliferatum produced fumonisins. High levels of fumonisin B1 (12.2 to 75.2 μg/g) were detected in all 6 samples of corn and 1 sample of sorghum meal. Neither aflatoxins nor CPA were found in any of the foods.