Department of Food Sciences and Agro-Processing, School of Engineering and Technology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3006, Tanzania.
Southern Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases (SACIDS), SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3019, Tanzania.
Toxins (Basel). 2022 Sep 3;14(9):618. doi: 10.3390/toxins14090618.
Maize-dependent populations in sub-Saharan Africa are continually exposed to aflatoxin poisoning owing to their regular consumption of this dietetic cereal. Being a staple in Kenyan households, consumption of maize-based meals is done almost daily, thereby exposing consumers to aflatoxicoses. This study assessed awareness levels, knowledge disparities, and perceptions regarding aflatoxin contamination at the post-harvest phase among farmers in the Rift Valley Region of Kenya. Households were randomly selected using a geographical positioning system (GPS) overlay of the agro-ecological zones within Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in 212 smallholder and large-scale farms. The study documented the demographic profiles of farmers and knowledge, awareness, and perceptions of aflatoxin contamination using a pre-designed structured questionnaire. Most farmers were familiar with aflatoxins and the adverse effects they present to health (61.32%). Almost all the farmers (94.37%) were aware of storage molds and food-spoilage fungi. However, few farmers adopted good post-harvest practices (PHPs), such as avoiding premature harvests (49.8%), using well-ventilated storage spaces (44.6%), grain sorting (30.5%), proper drying of maize (17.8%), and using hermetic bags for storage (30.5%). Conclusively, intensified farmer education is required to train farmers on good PHPs to protect their maize from aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin accumulation.
由于经常食用这种膳食谷物，撒哈拉以南非洲地区依赖玉米的人群不断受到黄曲霉毒素中毒的威胁。玉米是肯尼亚家庭的主食，几乎每天都要食用玉米类餐食，从而使消费者面临黄曲霉毒素中毒的风险。本研究评估了肯尼亚裂谷地区农民在收获后阶段对黄曲霉毒素污染的认识水平、知识差距和看法。通过地理定位系统（GPS）在 Uasin Gishu 和 Elgeyo Marakwet 县的农业生态区进行了随机抽样。在 212 个小农和大规模农场进行了面对面访谈。该研究记录了农民的人口统计特征以及对黄曲霉毒素污染的知识、认识和看法，使用了预先设计的结构化问卷。大多数农民都熟悉黄曲霉毒素及其对健康的不良影响（61.32%）。几乎所有的农民（94.37%）都知道储存霉菌和食物腐烂真菌。然而，只有少数农民采用了良好的收获后处理措施（PHPs），例如避免过早收获（49.8%）、使用通风良好的储存空间（44.6%）、谷物分类（30.5%）、适当干燥玉米（17.8%）和使用密封袋储存（30.5%）。总之，需要加强农民教育，培训农民采取良好的 PHPs，以防止玉米受到产黄曲霉毒素真菌和黄曲霉毒素积累的影响。
