Mycotoxin Contamination of Bush Mango, Cashew Nuts, Okra, Sesame and Sorghum Marketed in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Mycotoxin Contamination of Bush Mango, Cashew Nuts, Okra, Sesame and Sorghum Marketed in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Isaac M. Ogara¹, Michael Sulyok², Anthony Negedu³, Kolawole I. Ayeni⁴, Zega M. Zebedee¹, John D. Mamman¹, Abiodun Adedokun¹, Janet I. Ogara⁵, Eunice A. Adgidzi⁶, Chibundu N. Ezekiel^2,4*, Rudolf Krska^2,4

（1. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University Keffi, Shabu-Lafia Campus, PMB 335, Lafia Nasarawa State, 950101, Nigeria. 2. Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro- Metabolomics, Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Konrad Lorenz str., 20. 3430, Tulln, Austria. 3. Raw Materials Research and Development Council, 17, Aguiyi Ironsi Road, Maitama, Abuja, 904101 Nigeria. 4. Department of Microbiology, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, 121103, Nigeria. 5. Chemistry Unit, Department of Basic Sciences, College of Agriculture, PMB 335, Lafia Nasarawa State, 950101, Nigeria. 6. Department of Home Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University Keffi, Shabu-Lafia Campus, PMB 335, Lafia Nasarawa State, 950101,Nigeria.）

Abstract: Food crops (bush mango (n=12), roasted cashew nut (n=12), dried okra (n=12), sesame (n=35) and sorghum (n=36)) sold in markets in Nasarawa state, Nigeria, were analyzed using a LC-MS/MS mycotoxin method. The hepatocarcinogenic aflatoxin B₁ was detected in 42%, 25% and 19% of bush mango, dried okra and sorghum samples at mean concentrations of 19.2 µg/kg, 8.27 µg/kg and 4.75 µg/kg, respectively, while fumonisin B₁contaminated 9% of the sesame (mean: 12.5 µg/kg) and 47% of the sorghum (mean: 461 µg/kg) samples. At least 19% of the sorghum samples were co- contaminated with aflatoxin B₁andfumonisin B₁. The nephrotoxic ochratoxin A was detected in bush mango, sorghum and, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, in dried okra. These vended food crops in the local markets are therefore prone to mycotoxin contamination, which may pose a health threat to consumers, and require intentional mitigation efforts.