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Incidence of aflatoxin contamination in

locally processed complementary and

weaning foods for infants in Eastern

Province of Zambia

Akello Juliet IITA-Zambia

Bandyopadhyay Ranajit IITA-Nigeria

Mukanga Mweshi ZARI-Zambia

Njapau Henry NISIR-Zambia

1st African Symposium on Mycotoxicology 26th-28th

May 2015, Livingstone

Child nutrition status in Africa

Majority of the world’s malnourished

children are in Africa: 36% stunted;

29% underweight; 28% wasted

Rate of under-five stunting

Zambian children:

25% are underweight

43.0% are stunted

4% are wasted

One third of deaths in children

under five years of age are due

to underlying under-nutrition

Only 36% stunting is attributed to diet & 64% is due to other factors (Lunn et al., 1992; Bhutta et al. 2013)

In Africa, the main foods available for feeding infants include:

Cereals & tubers crops: maize meal, rice

Legumes: groundnuts, beans

Animal products: fish, milk, eggs

Fruits & vegetables: bananas, oranges, pawpaw, carrots,

pumpkins, green vegetables

Commercially processed foods

Child’s food was

determined by:

availability in the

household, cost of

food & seasonality

The readily available diets have low nutritive value & associated with

high prevalence of mycotoxin contaminants

Complementary/weaning foods

Lalude & Fashakin 2006; Owino et al. 2008; Wild & Gong 2010; Temesgen, 2013; Wakil & Kazeem, 2012

Common fungal infections

Cereals (maize): Fusarium, Diplodia & Aspergillus

• Fumonisins

• Deoxynivaleonol

• Zearalenone

• Ochratoxin A

• Aflatoxins

Legumes (gnuts): Aspergillus spp

• Aflatoxins

Tuber crops

Aflatoxins & complementary foods

Mycotoxins in foods: threat to proper growth

Aflatoxins & child exposure

In early childhood: exposure typically increases when

complementary foods are introduced, especially in

regions where maize and groundnuts are dietary

staples (Khlangwiset et al., 2011; Gong et al., 2012; Adejumo et al.,

2013; Turner, 2013).

Children may be exposed via breastfeeding: High

levels of AF detected in breast milk samples (Lamplugh

et al. 1988; Jonsyn et al. 1995; 4. Wild et al. 1991; Jonsyn et al.

1995; Tchana et al. 2010)

Utero exposure: detectable levels of AF in cord blood

samples (Wild et al. 1992; Gong et al. ).

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However, scanty information are available on the quality of commercially or

locally processed complementary or weaning foods that are used in Zambia.

This study aimed at:

i) assessing the type of local foods used in complementary and weaning

diets of infants in EP of Zambia

ii) quantifying the level of aflatoxin in local complementary/ weaning foods

iii) determining the effect of local food preparation techniques on aflatoxin

level

Aflatoxins & complementary foods

Methodology

200 mothers with under

5 children interviewed

Cooked samples porridge/ nshima

200 flour samples

Aflatoxin analysis: raw samples

Processed commodities

Chipata, Petauke, Nyimba, Mambwe & Lundazi

• Type and source of food

• Method of food preparation

• Quantity of food served/ child

• Age/ weight of child

• Marital & educational status of

the mothers

• Mother’s knowledge about

aflatoxins

96% of the mothers give complementary foods to the under 5 children

66% of mothers start the feeding program at 6 months post delivery

Type of supplementary food given to children below five years

Results: complementary feeding

Source of complementary foods given to

children below 5 years of age

Results: complementary feeding

This calls for the development and

deployment of aflatoxin mitigation

technologies that would protect the

produce right at the grass root level

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Results: complementary feeding

Average quantity of complementary food & frequency served/ child

Results: Aflatoxin levels

Table: Mean aflatoxin levels in raw complementary food samples

Crop District Aflatoxin level (ppb)

Mean Range

Groundnut Chipata 176.5 ab 0.4-3405

Lundazi 60.4 b 0.0-310

Mambwe 497.2 a 1.1-5200

Petauke 147.3 ab 1.7-775

Nyimba 76.0 b 1.4-376

Maize Chipata 13.0 bc 0.7-109

Lundazi 1.6 c 0.0-11

Mambwe 156.3 a 16-255

Petauke 17.5 bc 0.1-106

Nyimba 37.3 b 0.0-81

99% of groundnut & 93% of maize four samples tested +ve for aflatoxins

Results: Aflatoxin levels

Cooking had minimal effect on aflatoxins in highly contaminated foods

ns

ns

Zambian children may be at high risk of developing aflatoxin related diseases

Level of awareness: aflatoxins

Majority of mothers are not aware about aflatoxin contamination

The fact that more than half of the women do not know about this killer

toxin suggest a grave need for all stakeholders to increase awareness

campaigns for the sensitization of the public

Summary

“What matters to me is people. …… I want us to be judged by the impact we have

on the health of the people of Africa, and the health of women.….Our work must

touch the lives of everyone, everywhere…. … But we must focus our attention on

the people in greatest need.”

Dr. Margaret Chan, In-coming WHO Director General, November 2006

Maize & groundnut constitute the main readily available source of complementary

foods in Eastern Province of Zambia

Maize and groundnut commodities that are produced & marketed in EP are

contaminated by aflatoxins that can’t be degraded by heat

Thus, Zambian children may be at high risk of aflatoxin exposure through diets

There is need for awareness campaigns and pre- & post-harvest control measures

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Acknowledgement