Preliminary study on aflatoxin contamination of maize (Zea mays) grains in two districts of Northern Region of Ghana

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Abstract

Maize is among the most widely cultivated and consumed cereal crops in Ghana and across the world. The contamination of maize by aflatoxin in Ghana is a major concern due to the associated health hazards. This study investigated the levels of aflatoxin contamination in samples of maize grains collected from the Tamale Metropolis and the Tolon District of Northern Region of Ghana. Ten (10) maize samples were randomly collected from each district. Five (5) of these samples were collected from farmer’s field and five (5) from market centers and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The levels of aflatoxin contamination were measured by liquid chromatography (HPLC-FLD) and post column derivatization. The results indicated significant difference between the districts with respect to the levels of aflatoxin contamination in the maize grains. The total mean aflatoxin recorded for the samples was 60.2 ± 0.66 ppb. The samples from Tamale and Tolon had 12.1 ± 0.32 ppb (20.1%) and 48.1 ± 0.34 ppb (79.9%) of aflatoxin, respectively. The maize grains collected from the markets had higher level of aflatoxin contamination (47.2 ± 0.30 ppb) compared with the grains from farmers’ fields (13.1 ± 0.36 ppb). The study revealed that maize grains stored in polyethylene sack had the least level of aflatoxin while the jute sack had the greatest level of aflatoxin contamination. Therefore, it is recommended that maize grains should be stored in polyethylene sacks to reduce the level of aflatoxin contamination in the region.