THE OCCURRENCE OF MYCOTOXINS IN FERMENTED MAIZE PRODUCTS

The occurrence of mycotoxins in fermented maize dough and Ga Kenkey (a n end product of maize dough fermentation) from major processing sites and markets in Accra was investigated. Experiments were then conducte d to study the effects of spontaneous fermentation and cooking on afla toxin and citrinin levels at two processing sites and under laboratory conditions. Occurrence of aflatoxins and citrinin was widespread with generally high concentrations. Levels as high as 289 mu g kg(-1) for total aflatoxins and 584 mu g kg(-1) for citrinin were recorded. Low a mounts of ochratoxin A were detected and neither zearalenone nor alpha -zearalenol were found. Significant increases in aflatoxin levels were observed during the initial stages of fermentation. Furthermore, afla toxins and citrinin were found to persist throughout the traditional s teeping and fermentation processes. Cooking of fermented maize dough f or 3 h, as done for Kenkey production, resulted in a 80% reduction in aflatoxins B-1 and G(1) levels, a 35% reduction in aflatoxins B-2 and G(2), and citrinin was no longer detectable. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevi er Science Ltd