Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, PMB 31, Ho, Ghana.
Toxicon. 2023 Apr;226:107085. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107085. Epub 2023 Mar 14.
Maize (Zea mays) is an important staple food crop for the majority of Ghanaians. Maize is mostly contaminated by fungal species and particularly mycotoxins. This work aimed to identify and quantify the incidence of fungal infection and exposure to Ochratoxin A (OTA) as well as the health risk characterization in different age populations due to maize consumption in the Volta region. Maize samples were plated on Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol (DRBC) agar, and Oxytetracycline Glucose Yeast Extract (OGYE) agar. All media were prepared in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions. The plates were incubated at 28 ± 2 °C for 5-7 days. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography connected to a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) was used to analyze the ochratoxin A (OTA) levels in maize. Cancer risk assessments were also conducted using models prescribed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Additives (JECFA). The maize samples collected from the Volta region contained fungal population between the range of 3.08-4.58 log10 CFU/g. Eight (8) genera were recorded belonging to Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Saccharomyces, Mucor, Rhodotorula and Rhizopus. The species diversity includes A. flavus, A. niger, T. harzianum, P. verrucosum, F. oxysporum, Yeast, F. verticillioides, Rhodotorulla sp, A. fumigatus, R. stolonifer, M. racemosus species. Additionally, the ochratoxins level contained in the samples were very noteworthy and ranged from 1.22 to 28.17 μg/kg. Cancer risk assessments of OTA produced outcomes also ranged between 2.15 and 524.54 ng/kg bw/day, 0.03-8.31, 0.0323, and 0.07-16.94 for cases/100,000 person/yr for Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Margin of Exposure (MOE), Average Potency, and Cancer Risks respectively for all age categories investigated. There was very high mycoflora load on the maize sampled from the Volta region, likewise the range of mycotoxins present in the maize grains, suggesting the potential to pose some adverse health effects with the populace of the Volta region.
玉米（Zea mays）是加纳大多数人的重要主食。玉米主要受到真菌物种的污染，特别是霉菌毒素。这项工作旨在确定和量化伏塔地区不同年龄人群因食用玉米而导致的真菌感染和黄曲霉毒素 A（OTA）暴露的发生率，并进行健康风险特征描述。玉米样品在孟加拉玫瑰红氯苯甘氨酸（DRBC）琼脂和四环素葡萄糖酵母提取物（OGYE）琼脂上接种。所有培养基均按照制造商的说明进行制备。平板在 28 ± 2°C 下孵育 5-7 天。高效液相色谱法连接荧光检测器（HPLC-FLD）用于分析玉米中的黄曲霉毒素 A（OTA）水平。还使用粮农组织/世界卫生组织食品添加剂联合专家委员会（JECFA）规定的模型进行癌症风险评估。从伏塔地区采集的玉米样品中含有真菌种群，范围在 3.08-4.58 log10 CFU/g 之间。记录了属于曲霉属、木霉属、青霉属、镰刀菌属、酿酒酵母、毛霉属、红酵母属和根霉属的 8 个属。物种多样性包括黄曲霉、黑曲霉、哈茨木霉、产黄青霉、尖孢镰刀菌、酵母、串珠镰刀菌、红酵母、烟曲霉、根霉、毛霉。此外，样品中含有的黄曲霉毒素水平也非常显著，范围在 1.22 至 28.17 μg/kg 之间。OTA 产生的癌症风险评估结果也在 2.15 至 524.54 ng/kg bw/day、0.03-8.31、0.0323 和 0.07-16.94 之间变化，分别为每 100,000 人/年病例数/人、暴露量比（MOE）、平均效力和癌症风险，适用于所有调查年龄组。从伏塔地区采集的玉米上的真菌负荷非常高，同样，玉米粒中存在的霉菌毒素范围也很高，这表明伏塔地区的人群可能会受到一些不良健康影响。
