CONSUMPTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATED PEANUT BUTTER: A HEALTH THREAT TO THE POPULATION IN LUSAKA URBAN-ZAMBIA
Journal Title: Food and Environment Safety - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue 3
Abstract
Aflatoxin contamination is a major global Public Health problem especially in developing countries. Consumption of contaminated peanut butter poses a serious public health challenge. Aflatoxin is implicated in cancer, low immunity, and stunting among children and increases morbidity and mortality. To investigate aflatoxin contamination levels in peanut butter from local and international suppliers in selected Lusaka urban district outlets, a cross sectional quantitative study was carried out. A total of 109 peanut butter samples collected from local and international sources were tested for aflatoxin contamination levels using AccuScan Reveal Q+ test. The findings showed that nine (8.3%) of the 109 samples satisfied the 0 to 4ppb European standards, and were deemed safe for public consumption, while the majority (91.7%) were not. However, using the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) standard, of up to 15ppb, 83 (76.1%) samples were found to be safe for consumption. There was a marked difference in aflatoxin contamination of products with P-value of less than 0.00001. The study revealed high aflatoxin contamination in local compared to international products at 15ppb standard where 25 local products compared to 1 product of the international origin were contaminated above 15ppb. To protect the safety of consumers, it is recommended that the regulatory agency, the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) provides guidance on standards and monitor compliance. To control the movement of contaminated peanut products across borders and their consumption, collaborative research and consumer awareness will be critical.
Authors and Affiliations
Maureen S. BANDA, Rosemary N. LIKWA, Phoebe BWEMBYA, Jeremiah BANDA, Allan MBEWE
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP552219
- DOI -
- Views 116
- Downloads 0
THE CONTRIBUTION OF HELLENIC FOOD AUTHORITY TO THE TRAINING FIELD OF FOOD BUSINESSES STAFF FROM THE AUTHORITY ESTABLISHMENT TO ITS MODERN REORGANIZATION
The Greek Government among other reformative measures in the field of Public Administration promotes the public sector rationalization in order to be managed more effectively and more efficiently in view of the strict fi...
ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION OF PORK MEAT CHAIN: A ROMANIAN CASE STUDY
The aim of this paper was to establish the environmental impacts of pork meat chain using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. For this study the system boundaries included: pig farm, slaughterhouse, meat processing,...
IMPROVEMENT OF IN VITRO BIOACCESSIBILITY OF PROVITAMIN A CAROTENOIDS BY FERMENTATION OF TROPICAL LEAFY VEGETABLES
The purpose of this study was to assess in vitro bioaccessibility of provitamin A carotenoids in fermented leafy vegetables. These fermented leafy vegetables are often used to prepare dishes in some parts of tropical Afr...
DESATURATION OF CULTURAL MEDIA IN PROCESSES OF ANAEROBIC FERMENTATION
The article deals with the analysis of transients in gas-liquid media with the self-synthesis of the gas phase. It is shown that the restriction of the mass transfer intensity in the culture media of the alcoholic and br...
SCREENING OF POTENTIAL YEAST STARTERS WITH HIGH ETHANOL PRODUCTION FOR A SMALL-SCALE COCOA FERMENTATION IN IVORY COAST
Aromatic plants used as spices are effective sources for food additives, used both as taste correctors and for the purpose of preserving food. The paper aims at identifying aromatic herbal extracts that summarize several...