Survey of fungal counts and natural occurrence of aflatoxins in Malaysian starch-based foods

In a survey of starch-based foods sampled from retail outlets in Malaysia, fungal colonies were mostly detected in wheat flour (100%), followed by ric e flour (74%), glutinous rice grains (72%), ordinary rice grains (60%), glu tinous rice flour (48%) and corn flour (26%). All positive samples of ordin ary rice and glutinous rice grains had total fungal counts below 10(3) cfu/ g sample, while among the positive rice flour, glutinous rice flour and cor n flour samples, the highest total fungal count was more than 10(3) but les s than 10(4) cfu/g sample respectively. However, in wheat flour samples tot al fungal count ranged from 10(2) cfu/g sample to slightly more than 10(4) cfu/g sample. Aflatoxigenic colonies were mostly detected in wheat flour (2 0%), followed by ordinary rice grains (4%), glutinous rice grains (4%) and glutinous rice flour (2%). No aflatoxigenic colonies were isolated from ric e flour and corn flour samples. Screening of aflatoxin B-1, aflatoxin B-2, aflatoxin G(1) and aflatoxin G(2) using reversed-phase HPLC were carried ou t on 84 samples of ordinary rice grains and 83 samples of wheat flour. Two point four percent (2.4%) of ordinary rice grains were positive for aflatox in G(1) and 3.6% were positive for aflatoxin G(2). All the positive samples were collected from private homes at concentrations ranging from 3.69-77.5 0 mu g/kg. One point two percent (1.2%) of wheat flour samples were positiv e for aflatoxin B-1 at a concentration of 25.62 mu g/kg, 4.8% were positive for aflatoxin B-2 at concentrations ranging from 11.25-252.50 mu g/kg, 3.6 % were positive for aflatoxin G(1) at concentrations ranging from 25.00-289 .38 mu g/kg and 13.25% were positive for aflatoxin G(2) at concentrations r anging from 16.25-436.25 mu g/kg. Similarly, positive wheat flour samples w ere mostly collected from private homes.