M.Tech. / A study to determine the occurrence of fungi and their mycotoxins in rural food and their effect on human health was carried out at N’wamitwa (Tzaneen), a rural area of Limpopo province (South Africa). Fifty-eight maize and twenty-nine bambara nuts samples were collected from selected house holds and taken to the storage facilities of the Food, Environment and Health research group (FEHRG) laboratory at the University of Johannesburg for analysis. The samples were analysed for moisture content, fungal infestation, mycotoxin contamination and their toxicity. The moisture content of the samples were at a range of 3-20% moisture. Fungi which included species of the genus Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium were detected at all moisture ranges but more dominant in samples with higher moisture levels. Fungi in this study were able to produce mycotoxins which included deoxynivalenol (DON), zearelenone (ZEA), aflatoxins (AFs), T2- toxin, fumonisins (FBs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin. The most dominant toxins in maize samples quantified by VICAM were AFs followed by DON, FBs and lastly ZEA and in bambara nuts were FBs followed by DON, AFs and ZEA. HPLC was able to detect higher concentrations of FBs than VICAM. The toxins were then tested for their toxicity using human lymphocytes and the most toxic was DON followed by AFs, FBs and lastly ZEA. Three vials of the same toxin with different concentrations, one with the highest and others with the middle and the lowest concentrations were used to treat the human lymphocytes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7241 |
| Date | 11 October 2011 |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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