Abstract

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Spices are commonly contaminated with aflatoxins, a group of potent mycotoxins produced by moulds. This study investigated the incidence of aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin contents in spices commonly used in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria. Sixty samples of thirteen different spices were purchased from three markets. Fungal isolates were identified using phenotypic characteristics. Aflatoxin contamination was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively using thin layer chromatography and ELISA techniques respectively. Six species belonging to the fungal genera Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Penicillium were recovered. A. flavus and A. niger were the most dominant species. Thirty-one (47.1 %) out of sixty (60) samples analyzed were contaminated by total aflatoxin while 29 (52.9 %) were not. Three samples had aflatoxin contents above the 20 ppb (µg/Kg) limit value by the EU while the others did not exceed the 20 ppb (µg/Kg) limit. These results provide baseline information on fungal contamination in spices in Ilorin. Proper spices handling that will limit risks of fungal contamination and their metabolites accumulation at all production and storage stages is recommended while monitoring of aflatoxin contamination and creation of local benchmarks by regulatory agencies is recommended.

Keywords: mycotoxin, Aspergillus, contamination, dried spices, Ilorin.