ABSTRACT
A total of 61 samples comprising sunflower seeds (40) and unrefined sunflower oils (21) samples collected randomly from Singida, Tanzania were analysed by Reverse Phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). 15% (6/40) of the seed samples were contaminated with aflatoxin B1 ranging from limit of detection (LOD) to 218 ng g-1 with three of them exceeding the European Commission/European Union (EC/EU) and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)/Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) maximum limits of 2 ng g-1 for AFB1 in oilseeds. The levels of total aflatoxins (AFT) in seeds ranged from LOD to 243 ng g-1. Other aflatoxins, except AFG2, were also detected. For the unrefined sunflower oils, the levels of AFB1 ranged from LOD to 2.56 ng mL-1. About 80.9% (17/21) of the analysed oil samples contained AFB1 of which 17.65% (3/17) exceeded the EC/EU and TBS/TFDA maximum limits of 2 ng mL-1. Other aflatoxins were also detected in the oils. The measured levels indicate there is a need for food quality education among food processors.
Subject(s)
Aflatoxins/analysis , Dietary Fats, Unsaturated/analysis , Food Contamination , Food Inspection/methods , Helianthus/chemistry , Seeds/chemistry , Sunflower Oil/chemistry , Aflatoxin B1/analysis , Aflatoxin B1/isolation & purification , Aflatoxins/isolation & purification , Analytic Sample Preparation Methods , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Crops, Agricultural/chemistry , Crops, Agricultural/growth & development , Dietary Fats, Unsaturated/standards , Food Storage/standards , Helianthus/growth & development , Humans , Limit of Detection , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Reproducibility of Results , Seeds/growth & development , Spectrometry, Fluorescence , Sunflower Oil/standards , TanzaniaABSTRACT
Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination in raw milk from household cows fed with sunflower seedcakes or sunflower-based seedcake feeds was determined in 37 milk samples collected randomly from different locations in Singida region, Tanzania. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination in sunflower-based seedcake feed was determined in 20 feed samples collected from the same household dairy farmers. The samples were analysed by RP-HPLC using fluorescent detection after immunoaffinity column clean-up. Recoveries were 88.0% and 94.5%, while the limits of detection (LOD) were 0.026 ng mL(-1) and 0.364 ng g(-1) for AFM1 and AFB1, respectively. Of the analysed cow's milk samples, 83.8% (31/37) contained AFM1, with levels ranging from LOD to 2.007 ng mL(-1), exceeding both the European Commission (EC) and Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) limit of 0.05 ng mL(-1). Of the contaminated samples, 16.1% exceeded the Codex Alimentarius limit of 0.5 ng mL(-1). AFB1 was present in 65% (13/20) of the feed samples with levels ranging from LOD to 20.47 ng g(-1), 61.53% exceeding the TFDA and EC maximum limits of 5 ng g(-1) for complete dairy animal feed. The observed AFM1 and AFB1 contamination necessitates the need to raise awareness to dairy farmers in Tanzania to safeguard the health of the end-users.
