AUTHOR=Kachapulula Paul W. , Bandyopadhyay Ranajit , Cotty Peter J. 

TITLE=Aflatoxin Contamination of Non-cultivated Fruits in Zambia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01840

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.01840

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Wild fruits are an important food and income source for many households in Zambia. Non-cultivated plants may be as susceptible as crops to aflatoxin contamination. Concentrations of aflatoxins in commonly consumed wild fruits from markets and characteristics of associated aflatoxin-producers need to be determined to assess the aflatoxin risk posed by handling, processing, storage, and consumption. Samples of <italic>Schinziophyton rautanenii</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 22), <italic>Vangueriopsis lanciflora</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 7), <italic>Thespesia garckeana</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 17), <italic>Parinari curatellifolia</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 17), <italic>Ziziphus</italic> spp. (<italic>n</italic> = 10), <italic>Adansonia digitata</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 9), and <italic>Tamarindus indica</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 23) were assayed for aflatoxin using lateral-flow immunochromatography from 2016 to 2017. Aflatoxins were above Zambia’s regulatory limit (10 μg/kg) in <italic>S. rautanenii</italic> (average = 57 μg/kg), <italic>V. lanciflora</italic> (average = 12 μg/kg), and <italic>T. garckeana</italic> (average = 11 μg/kg). The L strain morphotype of <italic>Aspergillus flavus</italic> was the most frequent member of <italic>Aspergillus</italic> section <italic>Flavi</italic> in market samples, although <italic>Aspergillus parasiticus</italic> and fungi with S morphology were also found. All fruits except <italic>T. indica</italic> supported both growth (mean = 3.1 × 10<sup>8</sup> CFU/g) and aflatoxin production (mean = 35,375 μg/kg) by aflatoxigenic <italic>Aspergillus</italic> section <italic>Flavi</italic>. Innate resistance to aflatoxin producers was displayed by <italic>T. indica</italic>. For the other fruits, environment and infecting fungi appeared to have the greatest potential to influence aflatoxin concentrations in markets. This is the first report of aflatoxins and aflatoxin-producers on native fruits in Zambia and suggests mitigation is required.</p>