Occurrence of Aflatoxin Levels in Harvest and Stored Groundnut Kernels in Kaduna State, Nigeria

The occurrence of moulds and aflatoxins in groundnut kernels are of great concern to food processors and consumers because of their ability to cause spoilage resulting to economic losses and public health problem such as aflatoxicosis. This study was aimed at determining the presence of Aspergillus species and aflatoxin levels in fresh harvested and stored groundnuts kernels from non-mechanized groundnut oil processors in parts of Kaduna State. Enumeration and identification of Aspergillus spp of groundnut kernels; freshly harvested and stored samples were carried out using standard methods. Aflatoxin levels were determined using Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The result showed that both harvest and stored products had significantly (P<0.05) higher number of samples containing Aspergillus flavus than Aspergillus parasiticus. The four Aspergillus species isolated in descending order were: Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus. Though only about 9.02% of the total 260 samples screened had aflatoxin levels above the 20ppb recommended standard limit by Nigeria National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, it was obvious that the persistent detection of moulds and total aflatoxin in this research could be a health threat to both human and animal groundnut products (cake and oil) consumers.