Presentation made at the workshop organised under the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA)

1. Titilayo Falade
on behalf of the Aflasafe team
24 May 2022
Aflasafe Products and Success Stories

2. Aflatoxins as a food hazard in multiple crops
>20,000 ppb <5 ppb
High levels of aflatoxins can be
present without signs of visible mould
• Aflatoxins are hazardous secondary metabolites
produced by toxigenic members of Aspergillus section
Flavi
• The four major aflatoxins are aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and
G2. Aflatoxin B1, the dominant aflatoxin is a Class 1
carcinogen
• Aflatoxins have been detected in multiple crops including
maize, groundnut, chili, melon seeds, sesame, etc.
• Aflatoxins are strictly regulated in multiple countries
restricting trade internationally and sometimes
domestically
< 4 ppb < 15 ppb < 20 ppb
Regulatory
limits

3. Aflatoxins in One Health
Liver cancer: Up to 28% of liver cancer cases are
caused by aflatoxin exposure
Environmental
health
Human
health
Animal
health One
health
Image : cocreditrnell.edu
Plant
health
• Aspergilli infect plants and biosynthesize
aflatoxins under warm conditions
• Highly toxigenic strains are more dominant
in the environment under conditions of
drought and water stress – associated with
climate change
• Aflatoxin B1 causes hepatocellular
carcinoma and is associated with child
stunting and immunosuppression in
humans and animals and reduced
productivity in animals
Warm and humid regions between 35oN and 35oS
of the equator are at risk perennial aflatoxin
contamination

4. Incidence of toxigenic and atoxigenic strains
Agbetiameh et al. (2018).
High incidence of toxigenic strains is
responsible for high aflatoxin
concentrations
DS=Derived Savanah, HF=Humid Forest and
SGS=Southern Guinea Savanah

5. High incidence of aflatoxins in West Africa
1.75 5.37
19.27
32.26
98.23
51.83 52.53
64.73
84.91
22.45
10.28
23.55
2018 2019 2020 2021
Aflatoxin
concentrations
(ng/g)
Growing seasons
Aflatoxin concentrations in sorghum, groundnut and maize
sampled at harvest in Mali
Sorghum Groundnut Maize
70.55
465.19
158.64
312.56
270.8
2019 2020
Aflatoxin
concentrations
(ng/g)
Prevalence of aflatoxins in maize sampled at harvest in Niger
Sorghum Groundnut Maize
14.8
372
22.3
12.9
6.1
9.7
29.6
55.3
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Aflatoxin
concentrations
(ng/g)
Aflatoxin concentration in maize grains sampled in Nigeria
at harvest
Growing seasons
2.2 5.5
42.4
145.6
77.7
0.3
34.9
0.3
15.9
6.1 0.6 1
9
16.8
0
15.9
24.2
6.8
15.4 16.4
Ashanti
(HF)
Brong
Ahafo (HF)
Eastern
(HF)
Volta (HF) Brong
Ahafo (DS)
Eastern
(DS)
Northern
(DS)
Volta (DS) Northern
(SGS)
Upper East
(SGS)
Upper
West (SGS)
Aflatoxin
concentration
(ng/g)
Axis Title
Aflatoxin concentrations in maize and groundnut samples from
Ghana (2013)
Maize Groundnut

6. Association of Aspergilli and plant
• Both toxigenic and atoxigenic
strains of the A. flavus
naturally exist.
• Association with dominant
toxigenic strains results in pre-
harvest aflatoxin
contamination
• Association with dominant
non-toxigenic (atoxigenic)
strains protects the plant from
pre-harvest aflatoxin
contamination
• Aflasafe employs the use of
carefully selected atoxigenic
strains in biocontrol

7. Aflasafe – a climate-smart solution for aflatoxins
• Aflasafe is a climate-smart innovative bioprotectant that
mitigates pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination
• Selection of Aflasafe strains are selected based several
criteria including (safety, wide agro-ecological
distribution, optimal adaptation)
Little to no aflatoxin
contamination
High aflatoxin
contamination
Crop fungal content
is the same in
treated and
untreated fields
Non-treated
Field
Treated Field

8. How Aflasafe works
Aflasafe is easy
to use and
effective

9. Integrated aflatoxin management has worked with biocontrol
as the center piece technology
Optimal
storage
Rapid grain
drying
Timely
harvest
Sorting and
processing
Awareness
Policies
Testing
Dietary
interventions
Market
development
Resistant
varieties
Insect
control

10. Aflasafe’s influence on
dominance of toxigenic and
atoxigenic strains
Application of Aflasafe results in
reduced incidence of toxigenic strains
that become associated with the crop
Senghor et al. (2021). Incidence of toxigenic
strains is reduced in treated fields (outer circle)
compared to untreated fields (inner circle)
Aflasafe-treated fields contain less
aflatoxins than untreated fields

11. Aflasafe GH01 use in Ghana results in up to 100% aflatoxin
reduction in maize and groundnut
Agbetiameh et al., 2020

12. Aflasafe GH02 use in Ghana results in up to 100% aflatoxin
reduction in maize and groundnut
Agbetiameh et al., 2020

13. Aflasafe use in The Gambia results aflatoxin reduction in
maize and groundnut
Maize Gnut Gnut Gnut Maize Maize Gnut Gnut Gnut
CRN CRN NB WC CRN LR CRN NB WC
2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015
Treated 2.6 0.4 2.7 4.4 16 6.5 0 0 0
Control 48.9 2.3 68.6 172.9 79.3 39 64.5 3.4 9.9
0
50
100
150
200
Aflatoxin
concentrations
(ng/g)
Aflatoxin concentrations in maize and groundnut samples taken at harvest from The Gambia
(2014, 2015) from Aflasafe-treated and untreated fields
Treated Control
Maize Gnut Gnut Gnut
CRN CRN NB WC
2014 2014 2014 2014
Treated 0.7 2.9 1.2 14.6
Control 39 16.2 19.7 64.7
0
20
40
60
80
Aflatoxin
concentrations
(ng/g)
Aflatoxin concentrations in maize and groundnut samples taken after storage from The
Gambia (2014, 2015) from Aflasafe-treated and untreated fields
Treated Control
Senghor
et al.,
2021

14. Effectiveness of Aflasafe
Aflasafe factory in Senegal managed by
BAMTAARE - private sector

15. Aflasafe factory in Nigeria
managed by Harvestfield
Industries Limited - private sector
Effectiveness of Aflasafem (cont’d)

16. Aflasafe products and product development in Africa
• Aflasafe developed for 10
countries
• Product development, testing
and registration on going in 12
other countries
1. Nigeria (Aflasafe),
2. Ghana (Aflasafe GH01, Aflasafe GH02),
3. Senegal (Aflasafe SN01)
4. The Gambia (Aflasafe SN01),
5. Burkina Faso (Aflasafe BF01),
6. Kenya (Aflasafe KE01),
7. Tanzania (Aflasafe TZ01, Aflasafe TZ02),
8. Zambia (Aflasafe ZM01, Aflasafe ZM02),
9. Malawi (Aflasafe MZMW01, Aflasafe MW02), and
10. Mozambique (Aflasafe MZMW01, Aflasafe MZ02).

17. Aflasafe’s contribution to one-health as a climate-smart
solution for aflatoxins
Environmental
health
Human
health
Animal
health One
health
Plant
health
• Aflasafe contains as active ingredient
naturally occurring Aspergillus flavus
• The Aflasafe strains in the environment
when associated with the crop in place
of the toxigenic strains do not produce
aflatoxins
• Crop protection occurs pre-harvest with
continued benefits post harvest
• Access to safe and wholesome foods
reduces exposure of humans and
animals to aflatoxins and minimizes
health risks, improves animal
productivity

18. Aflasafe stories by the users – farmers and buyers
They reported
improvement in grain
quality with the use of
Aflasafe for crop
production
He reported
reduction in the
mortality of birds
and the use of
antibiotics with the
use of grains treated
with Aflasafe
Stories
from
Nigeria
Voices of
farmers from
West Africa

19. Aflasafe’s contribution to one-health

20. Collaborators and Partners

21. Thank you for your attention
For discussions and collaboration you can reach me Titilayo Falade at
t.falade@cgiar.org