article · Cogent Food & Agriculture
Concerns regarding food-borne carcinogens have risen alongside cancer rates in Uganda. To examine potential risks, mycotoxins and metallic elements were measured in processed peanuts purchased from four Kampala markets and compared with peanut samples processed traditionally in homes. Laboratory analyses screened for multiple contaminants, including various aflatoxins, fumonisins, other mycotoxins, and several heavy metals. Aflatoxins were the primary mycotoxins detected in significant quantities. A substantial proportion of the tested products exceeded standard acceptable thresholds for total aflatoxins, with market-processed items showing significantly higher aflatoxin levels than those processed at home. In contrast, metallic element levels generally remained below regulatory safety limits. Furthermore, roasting and the duration of grinding did not significantly alter the concentrations of aflatoxins or metallic elements.
Peanuts are a widely consumed food, but contamination with carcinogenic aflatoxins poses serious health risks to the public. These findings show that commercially processed peanuts in urban markets carry higher contamination levels than those prepared at home. Routine screening and stricter monitoring in public markets are essential to protect consumer health and enforce food safety standards.
This research provides baseline data rather than a commercial product, serving food safety regulators, public health agencies, and food processing businesses seeking to design monitoring protocols. Because processing methods like roasting and grinding do not eliminate these toxins, the findings point to a need for quality control interventions earlier in the supply chain, though the abstract does not indicate a specific commercialisation pathway.
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The increasing prevalence of cancer among Ugandans has aroused consumer concerns about food-borne carcinogens. This study sought to compare mycotoxin and metallic element concentrations in processed peanuts sold in selected markets in Kampala, Uganda to those traditionally prepared in homes. Market-processed peanut samples (n = 33) were purchased from four markets. Control samples (n = 5) were unground peanuts bought from markets but processed in homes by traditional methods. Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2; Fumonisins; Deoxynivalenol, Nivalenol, Ochratoxin A, T2 toxin, Zearalenone, and Zearalenol were analyzed by LC/MS/MS while As, B, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mg, Ni, Pb and Zn were analyzed by ICP/MS. The data was statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon scores (rank sums) or the Kruskal-Wallis test. Aflatoxins were the predominant mycotoxins found in significant amounts. 55 and 34% of the samples had concentrations of total aflatoxins greater than 20 ppb (FDA acceptable limit). There were significantly higher concentrations of aflatoxins in market-processed than in home-processed samples. Metallic element concentrations were generally below FDA maximum acceptable concentrations. Roasting and duration of grinding had no significant effect on aflatoxin or metallic element concentrations. There is a need for food-borne toxicant monitoring of food sold in public markets in Uganda.
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DOI: 10.1080/23311932.2017.1313925
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