Aflatoxin Management in Food Crops

www.iita.org I www.cgiar.org
Source: nigerianfoodtvSource: globalfoodbook
Aflatoxin Management in Food Crops for the
Global Market
National Export Promotion Council (NEPC) sensitization workshop,
Port Harcourt, Nigeria; 19 June 2019.
Titilayo Falade and Alejandro Ortega-Beltran
(on behalf of the Aflasafe team)
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

2
Pre-session survey
www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDJBGTZ

Outline
33
Introduction
Impact of aflatoxins
How aflatoxin contamination occurs
Aflatoxin management
Aflasafe
1
2
3
4
5

4
Introduction

55

What are aflatoxins?
6
Aflatoxin B1
Susceptible crops
Maize, groundnuts, sorghum,
cottonseed, chili, millet, figs,
melon seed, ginger, sesame,
almond, pistachio…
Aspergillus

7
Photo credit: Alejandro Ortega-Beltran
Aflatoxigenic fungi belong to Aspergillus section Flavi: A. flavus, A.
parasiticus, A. nomius. A. aflatoxiformans

8

Impacts of dietary ingestion of aflatoxins
9
Imagecredit:cornell.edu
Liver cancer
5-28% liver
cancer cases
Child stunting
28% reduced
growth
Kidney
toxicity
Reduced
immunity
Death
In utero,
breast milk
transmission

Impacts of aflatoxins on trade
10
Inability to meet demands of local and international quality-
sensitive markets willing to pay premium

Regulatory Limits
11
Global Regulatory Limits for total aflatoxins
EU
USA,
Mexico,
Argentina
Korea,
Egypt…
Several
African
countries
Sources: FAO (2003) and doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045151.t003 Edited by: Titilayo Falade

Importers’ (EU) regulations
12
Source:
https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/safety/
docs/cs_contaminants_sampling_analysis-
guidance-2010_en.pdf
Health certificate
Results of testing within
specified limits
Follow proper sampling
procedures

Impacts of aflatoxins on trade (cont’d)
Inability to meet regulatory requirements of importing countries

Food commodity Reg: Requiring further processing Mean AFT
Maize 5 ppb for AFB1 and 10 ppb for AFT -
Groundnut 8 ppb for AFB1, 15 ppb for AFT 104 ppb
Melon seeds (egusi) 8 ppb for AFB1, 15 ppb (codex) 44 ppb
Bush mango seeds
(ogbono)
8 ppb for AFB1, 15 ppb (codex) 25 ppb
Commodity Regulatory Limit Mean AFT
Sesame 2 ppb for AFB1, 4 ppb for AFT 11 ppb
Mixed spices 5 ppb for AFB1, 10 ppb for AFT 154 ppb
Pepper 5 ppb for AFB1, 10 ppb for AFT 360 ppb
Ginger 5 ppb for AFB1, 10 ppb for AFT 26 ppb
Infant foods 0.10 (AFB1) -
14
Nigerian exports to the EU (from 2014-June 2019)
Regulation (Reg): Not requiring further processing=2 ppb (AFB1), 4 ppb (AFT)
Source: RASFF database (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/portal/?event=notificationsList&StartRow=1)

15
Aflatoxin contaminated
produce above
regulatory limits
Produce rejections, product
recall, increased control to
region/ importer blacklisted
LOSSES: Loss of
-reputation,
-produce (destruction)
-finances (produce repatriation)
-premium-market share
Inability for large-scale
production of high
quality products
Reduced access to
capital for quality and
business service
improvements

16
How does aflatoxin contamination occur?

Aflatoxin contamination occurs…
17
…when the crop/produce is associated with the
aflatoxin-producing fungus and conditions for toxin
formation are present
Aflatoxigenic
fungus
Moist and warm
conditions

18
Location: Region of high perennial risk
35oN to 35oS of the equator

How the crop because associated with the fungus
19
Pre-harvest
(during plant
growth)
Peri-harvest
(at harvest)
Post-harvest
(storage,
transportation,
etc.)
Fungi are
carried by
air, insects
Fungi enter through
insect holes, silk
channel and cracks
Fungi enter and
produce the
chemical toxin
Produce
placed
directly on
soil
Fungi move from
soil, air and
damaged crop
Fungi enter
and produce
the chemical
toxin
Crop stored or
transported directly
on soil or unhygienic
conditions
Fungi move
from soil, air
and damaged
crop
Fungi enter and
produce the
chemical toxin
Grains
threshed badly
and crop
damaged

20
How can aflatoxin contamination be managed?

Good Manufacturing &
Storage Practices
Aflatoxin contamination be managed through…
21
Good Agricultural
Practices
Innovative solution

22
Managing predisposing conditions to aflatoxins

23
Unsuited varieties
Using susceptible rotational
crops
Plant best suited
varieties
Low nutrient
availability
Timely weeding and application
of fertilisers
Rotate crops with crops that are not
susceptible A. flavus other fungi
Risks
Management Crop
management
practices

24
Crop stress:
damage by
pests, hot and
dry conditions
Management
Consult extension agents
for appropriate pest control
products or innovative
strategies
drought
Pests: Insects, birds,
rodents
Use drought-resistant
varieties, monitor weather
conditions, use irrigation
systems
Risks

25
Risks Management Peri harvest
practices
Late harvesting
Keeping harvest
on ground
Heaping that allows
moisture into lot
Heap to permit
proper runoff
Harvest into bags
Timely harvest
before rains

26
Risks Management
Drying on bare ground
‘Drying’ on wet ground
Dry on clean, covered surfaces
Dry on dry and elevated platforms
(<14% MC)
Post harvest
practices:
drying

27
Risks Management
Poor sanitation + on ground Storing under hygienic conditions + on pallets
Uncovered truck + no pallet Covered truck + pallet
Post harvest
practices:
storage and
transport

28
Risks Management Peri- and Post
harvest
practices:
sorting
Combining damaged and undamaged
kernels
Separating damaged and undamaged
kernels

Image credit: WFP
Light processing
Remove light
weight
damaged
grains and
extraneous
material
Image credit: Purdue University
Hermetic storage
Control moisture
and insect
Image credit: World Food Program
Prevent
recontamination:
sanitize and dry
items for reuse

35oN to 35oS of
the equator
30
Increased awareness
and sensitization of
aflatoxin management
+ policy and
regulatory inputs
Generic risks
Location: Region of high perennial risk
Fungal populations: High
prevalence of aflatoxin-
producers
Management
BENEFITS
Multi-CROP
Multi-YEAR
Multi-LOCATION
PRE-harvest
PERI-harvest
POST-harvest
PROBLEM
Multi-CROP
Multi-YEAR
Multi-LOCATION
PRE-harvest
PERI-harvest
POST-harvest

31
Aflasafe

Aflasafe: Innovative strategy for Aflatoxin reduction
32

33
What is aflasafe?
33
A. flavus
Aflasafe is a natural/non-chemical product that reduces populations
of aflatoxin-producing A. flavus by competitive exclusion
Safe A. flavus
Toxic A. flavus
4 superior strains

34
Fungal densities
Non-treated Field
Treated Field
34
Tox
Atox
BENEFITS Multi-CROP Multi-YEAR Multi-LOCATION
Slide prepared by A. Ortega-Beltran and modified by T. Falade

35
Composed of four safe and superior native
A. flavus strains
Aflasafe

How is Aflasafe applied?
3636 3636

How Aflasafe works
37
Aflasafe in 2.5 & 5 kg bags
Sporulation on moist soil
3-20
days
Broadcast
@ 10 kg/ha 2-3 weeks before flowering
30-33 grains/m2
Soil colonization and displacement of toxigenic fungi
Wind

Efficacy on maize: Nigeria case
372
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2009 2010 2011 2012
Aflasafe™
Control
82 94 83 86
51 14 199 38Fields (#)
Less (%)
At Harvest
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2009 2010 2011 2012
82 93 89 90
51 14 166 38
After Storage
38
AFTinng/g

• Kick-starting the market through pay-for-results “pull
mechanism”. Incentives given after Aflasafe adoption is
demonstrated
• Implementers negotiate sale at premium prices
Successful strategy for
• Coordinate the adoption of the Aflasafe strategy at commercial-
scale
• Sensitize private-sector on strategies for aflatoxin control using
Aflasafe

Participating farmers in Nigeria

Exponential growth
Key statistics five years
Key statistics five years
Grain lots with aflatoxin
concentration
Percent
<4 ppb 90%
<10 ppb 94%
<20 ppb 97%
+275,000 tons of maize
harvested
• 57% aggregated for sale
• 27% consumed at home
• 16% sold in local market
Productivity increase
3.1 ton/ha
compared to national
average of 1.5 ton/ha

AgResults external evaluation
https://agresults.org/learning/37-evaluation-final-report-nigeria-
aflasafe-challenge-project/file
Main findings
• Annual net income increased
by $318 or 16 percent per
smallholder farmer.
• Smallholder consumption of
Aflasafe-treated maize
increased on average by 20
g per day or 13 percent of
their daily consumption.
• Health and income benefits
achieved by farmers by
using Aflasafe were
demonstrated.

Important considerations
43
Proper documentation
Traceability
Avoid
• Intentional or inadvertent
addition of moisture
• Re-use of potentially
contaminated packaging
• Combining lot consignments
• Actions that reduce traceability

Re-cap
44
Introduction
How aflatoxin contamination occurs
Aflatoxin management
Aflasafe
1
2
3
4
5

45
Post-session survey:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCYXHL3

Aflasafe –use is Africa-wide
46
Aflasafe factory and laboratory in Ibadan
Kaolack, Senegal
Will start producing in
June 2019
Factories for Rwanda, Tanzania, and
Mozambique being planned as of
now
Katumani, Kenya
Operational since
Dec 2017
KALRO-Katumani
BAMTAARE

Acknowledgements
47

Thank you
48

Aflatoxin Management in Food Crops

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