Mycotoxins in Nigerian foodstuffs

Abstract

The presence of mycotoxins in a wide variety of Nigerian foodstuffs is a potential health hazard for the human population. The major fungal species implicated in the production of these toxins include Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. A random sample of maize and groundnuts harvested from farms in Ilorin and Ogbomoso, Nigeria, revealed the presence of fungal contaminants such as aflatoxins, moniliformin, zearalenone and cyclopiazonic acid in various amounts. Of the four toxins, only cyclopiazonic acid is a known inhibitor of the calcium-pumping adenosine triphosphatase (Ca2+-ATPase) in skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. Since the Ca2+-ATPase represents about 85 per cent of the total proteins in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, ingestion of this mycotoxin will definitely have an effect on muscle development and function. We suggest here that the ingestion of cyclopiazonic acid in contaminated foodstuffs could play a role in the aetiology of muscle wasting diseases prevalent in the tropics.
Key Words: Food contaminants; Mycotoxins; Aflatoxin; Moniliformin; Zearalenone; Cyclopiazonic acid; Muscle wasting; Calcium-pumping ATPase (Ca2+-ATPase).