TY - JOUR
T1 - Fungal profile, levels of aflatoxin M1, exposure, and the risk characterization of local cheese ‘wagashi’ consumed in the Ho Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana
AU - Kortei, Nii Korley
AU - Gillette, Valentina Sylvia
AU - Wiafe-Kwagyan, Michael
AU - Ansah, Leslie Owusu
AU - Kyei-Baffour, Vincent
AU - Odamtten, George Tawia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Wagashi is a West African type cottage cheese locally prepared from cow milk. Wagashi like other milk products, is prone to microbial contamination, particularly by fungi. Many of these fungal species produce mycotoxins which are of serious public health concern. This work aimed to update the mycoflora profile and determine the concentrations of aflatoxin M1 and its health risk characterization due to the consumption of wagashi. Culturing the wagashi on mycological media (Oxytetracycline Glucose Yeast Extract OGYE, Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol DRBC) caused a de-novo growth of the quiescent spores at 28–30 °C for 5–7 days. The analysis of AFM1 levels in the samples was done using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography connected to a Fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The exposure and risk assessment to the AFMI levels were determined using deterministic models prescribed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The fungal counts ranged between 2.36–4.30 log10 CFU/g. In total, thirteen (13) fungal species from eight (8) genera were isolated from all wagashi samples. They are; Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium digitatum, Trichoderma harzianum, Aspergillus terreus, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus fumigatus, Yeast sp., Mucor racemosus and Fusarium oligosporum belonging to the genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhodotorula, Rhizopus, Yeast, and Mucor. The AFM1 observed in the wagashi samples' analysis was low, ranging from 0.00 (Not Detected) ± 0.00 − 0.06 ± 0.002 µg/Kg. Risk assessments of AFM1 using deterministic models produced outcomes that ranged between 5.92 × 10−3- 0.14 ng/kg bw/day, 1.42 –44.35, 0–0.0323 ng aflatoxins/kg bw/day, and 1.51 × 10−3 − 9.69 × 10−4 cases/100,000 person/yr for estimated daily intake (EDI), margin of exposure (MOE), average potency, and cancer risks, respectively, for the age categories investigated. Fungal counts were interpreted as medium to high. It was also established that the consumption of wagashi may pose adverse health effects on all age categories in the selected zones of the study since all calculated MOE values were less than 100,000.
AB - Wagashi is a West African type cottage cheese locally prepared from cow milk. Wagashi like other milk products, is prone to microbial contamination, particularly by fungi. Many of these fungal species produce mycotoxins which are of serious public health concern. This work aimed to update the mycoflora profile and determine the concentrations of aflatoxin M1 and its health risk characterization due to the consumption of wagashi. Culturing the wagashi on mycological media (Oxytetracycline Glucose Yeast Extract OGYE, Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol DRBC) caused a de-novo growth of the quiescent spores at 28–30 °C for 5–7 days. The analysis of AFM1 levels in the samples was done using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography connected to a Fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The exposure and risk assessment to the AFMI levels were determined using deterministic models prescribed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The fungal counts ranged between 2.36–4.30 log10 CFU/g. In total, thirteen (13) fungal species from eight (8) genera were isolated from all wagashi samples. They are; Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium digitatum, Trichoderma harzianum, Aspergillus terreus, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus fumigatus, Yeast sp., Mucor racemosus and Fusarium oligosporum belonging to the genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhodotorula, Rhizopus, Yeast, and Mucor. The AFM1 observed in the wagashi samples' analysis was low, ranging from 0.00 (Not Detected) ± 0.00 − 0.06 ± 0.002 µg/Kg. Risk assessments of AFM1 using deterministic models produced outcomes that ranged between 5.92 × 10−3- 0.14 ng/kg bw/day, 1.42 –44.35, 0–0.0323 ng aflatoxins/kg bw/day, and 1.51 × 10−3 − 9.69 × 10−4 cases/100,000 person/yr for estimated daily intake (EDI), margin of exposure (MOE), average potency, and cancer risks, respectively, for the age categories investigated. Fungal counts were interpreted as medium to high. It was also established that the consumption of wagashi may pose adverse health effects on all age categories in the selected zones of the study since all calculated MOE values were less than 100,000.
KW - Aflatoxin M1
KW - Cancer
KW - Fungi species
KW - Hepatocellular carcinoma
KW - Milk products
KW - wagashi
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183717067&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.01.009
DO - 10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.01.009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85183717067
SN - 2214-7500
VL - 12
SP - 186
EP - 199
JO - Toxicology Reports
JF - Toxicology Reports
ER -