Occurrence of Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus Species in Peanut Varieties in Busia and Kisii Central Districts, Kenya
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Date
2018
Authors
Menza, C. Nelson
Muturi, W. Margaret
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Scientific Research Publishing
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that peanuts in Kenya are highly contaminated
with aflatoxins, however, information gaps exist on the characterization of
the Aspergillus species that produce aflatoxins. Therefore, this gap necessitated the determination of the Aspergillus species producing aflatoxins in
peanuts from the main growing districts of Busia and Kisii central. One
hundred and two (102) peanuts samples were collected from farmers’ in
each district and Aspergillus species were isolated using the dilution plate
technique on modified Rose Bengal Agar. Phenotypical characterization of
the identified Aspergillus flavus isolates from the samples was determined
using the procedure of Mellon and Cotty. This study identified 5 Aspergillus species as contaminants in peanut analyzed. They were Aspergillus flavus L-strain, Aspergillus flavus S-strain, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus
niger and Aspergillus tamari. Overall, the occurrence of Aspergillus flavus
L-strain and A. flavus S-strain was significantly higher than other species
identified (H = 15.55, df = 4, P = 0.004) in peanuts from the two districts.
Aspergillus flavus L-strain was the most common isolate (58.8%) in peanut
from Busia district while A. flavus S-strain was the most common strain
(60.2%) in peanuts from Kisii central district. However, A. flavus S-strain
was the most dominant species (F = 3.15, df = 25, P = 0.031) with an overall
mean occurrence of 45.1%. The confirmation of occurrence of other species
that produce toxins such as A. niger and A. tamarii which also produces
cyclopiazonic acid, points to the need of screening peanuts for other carcinogenic mycotoxins.
Description
A research article published in Open Journal of Medical Microbiology
Keywords
Aflatoxins, Peanuts, Aspergillus Species
Citation
Nelson, M.C. and Margaret, M.W. (2018) Occurrence of Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus Species in Peanut Varieties in Busia and Kisii Central Districts, Kenya. Open Journal of Medical Microbiology, 8, 98-108. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojmm.2018.84009