Assessment of Aflatoxin Biocontrol Strategies Implemented by Private Sector Entities for Managing Aflatoxin Contamination in Nigerian Agricultural Systems | Chapter 8 | Research Perspectives of Microbiology and Biotechnology Vol. 7

Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by several Aspergillus species that contaminate various crops. The impact of aflatoxin on the health of humans and livestock is a concern across the globe. Income, trade, and development sectors are affected as well. There are several technologies to prevent aflatoxin contamination but there are difficulties in having farmers use them. Several Aspergillus species can produce aflatoxins, however, A. flavus is the most common causal agent of contamination and therefore of global interest. In Nigeria, an aflatoxin biocontrol product containing atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus has been registered with regulatory authorities and is now being produced at scale by the private company Harvestfield Industries Limited (HIL). The current study reports results of biocontrol effectiveness trials in maize conducted by HIL during 2020 in several locations across Nigeria and compared to untreated maize from nearby locations. Farmers and farmer-field selections were carried out in collaboration with the lead farmers from MAGPAMAN and Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) of the Agricultural Development Project (ADP). Biocontrol application was conducted in fields across the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria during the 2020 cropping season, which spans from April to October. Also, maize was collected from open markets to assess levels of contamination. All treated maize met tolerance thresholds (i.e., <4ppb total aflatoxin). In contrast, most maize from untreated fields had a higher risk of aflatoxin contamination, with some areas averaging 38.5 ppb total aflatoxin. Maize from open markets had aflatoxin above tolerance thresholds with even an average of up to 90.3 ppb. For the biocontrol treatment comparisons, means were separated using paired Student t-tests. Results from the trials were presented in a National Workshop attended by key officers of Government agencies, farmer organizations, the private sector, NGOs, and donors. Overall, we report (i) efforts spearheaded by the private sector to have aflatoxin management strategies used at scale in Nigeria, and (ii) deliberations of key stakeholders to ensure the safety of crops produced in Nigeria for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and industries. With improved, refined strategies, aflatoxin management programs will surely result in reduced aflatoxin contamination and exposure in Nigeria and elsewhere.

 

Author (s) Details

O. T. Ola
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

O. O. Ogedengbe
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

T. M. Raji
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

B. Eze
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

M. Chama
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

O. N. Ilori
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

M. A. Awofisayo
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

L. Kaptog
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.

 

R. Bandyopadhyay
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.

 

A. Ortega-Beltran
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.

 

A. A. Ndarubu
Harvestfield Industries Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rpmab/v7/1196

Proponents Implemented for Quality Standardization and Toxicity Evaluation of Classical Ayurvedic Formulation: Dhatupaushtik Churna| Chapter 11 | Current Overview on Pharmaceutical Science Vol. 1

 Dhatupaushtik Churna is a polyherbal grated formulation that contains equal amounts of Gokhru (Tribulus terrestris L.; Family: Zygophyllaceae), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L.; offspring: Solanaceae), and Safed musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum L.; Family: Asparagaceae) and is used to treat a myriad of ailments, containing premature ejaculation, proneness, rejuvenation of the male reproductive structure, and anti-aging. The fundamental goal of this case is to document Dhatupaushtik Churna's distinctive traits in order to legitimise its labeling, quality, and purity. The many specifications investigated included organoleptic characteristics, physicochemical limits, physical characteristics of Churna, preliminary phytochemical, sounds that are pleasant, and microbial analysis, metabolomic tracking accompanying gas chromatography/bulk spectrometry, and high-performance thin coating chromatography assessment. The parameters settled have been shown expected informative finishes for assisting regulatory experts, scientific organisations, and manufacturers in developing extreme-efficacy standard formulations, and they can be secondhand as reference principles in a pharmaceutical startup's quality control/control of product quality laboratory. As a consequence of this inquiry, each and every ingredient in Dhatupaushtik Churna maybe identified. The characterisation limits documented in this essay might be used as a standard criterion for Dhatupaushtik Churna quality control analysis. To support batch-to-parcel consistency, the criteria likely in this study might be utilised to develop a monograph on quality flags for Dhatupaushtik Churna.Furthermore, the study evaluated the severe and subacute oral toxicity of Dhatupaushtik Churna aqueous extract in Swiss light mice and Wistar albino rats. Acute toxicity evaluation was studied utilizing male Swiss albino mice evaluating 20-25 gm and the subacute toxicity testing was using male Wistar light rats weighing 150-200 gm. The acute toxicity study was completed activity according to OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) directions 423, at the dose of 2000 mg/kg, p.o., with no fatalities. In a subacute toxicity search, the extract-treated rats (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) showed no important differences compared to the control group. Haematological and biochemical flags were constant, inasmuch as the weights of the liver, kidney, pancreas, and organs did not alter. The results displayed that Dhatupaushtik Churna had no appreciable impact on the limits assessed at the doses secondhand in the study. However, further study is required to examine and confirm its security.

Author(s) Details:

Kausik Bhar,
GITAM School of Pharmacy, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam-530045, A.P., India.

Sumanta Mondal,
GITAM School of Pharmacy, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam-530045, A.P., India.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/COPS-V1/article/view/8970

Determination of Heavy Metal, Aflatoxin, Pesticide Residue and Microbial content of Siddha Polyherbal Formulation Veppampoo mathirai| Chapter 11 | Challenges and Advances in Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 2

Aim: Although the polyherbal siddha formulation veppampoo Mathirai is helpful at lowering blood pressure, it is unknown if it is safe. The presence of heavy metals, aflatoxins, pesticide residue, and microbiological count has yet to be determined. In the current investigation, the parameters indicated above were assessed. The goal of this study was to assess the safety parameters of Veppampoo Mathirai (heavy metals, aflatoxin, pesticide residue, and microbiological profile), with the goal of determining if the aforesaid parameters of VPM were within normal ranges as per AYUSH standards.

Materials and Methods: The formulation was tested for its safety criteria at Noble research solutions, kolathur, Chennai, accredited with ISO 9001: 2015, according to AYUSH [Ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha, naturopathy] Pharmacopoeial laboratory for Indian medicine (PLIM) recommendations. An Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) was used to evaluate heavy metals, and Thin Layer Chromatography was used to analyse aflatoxins (TLC). The GC/MS technique was used to assess pesticide residues, and the pour plate method was used to determine microbiological counts.

The presence of heavy metals mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium was found to be within the AYUSH Pharmacopoeial Laboratory for Indian Medicine Guidelines, while Aflatoxin, pesticide residues, and microbes were not detected in the sample, indicating that the formulation Veppampoo Mathirai (VPM) was toxicity-free.

Conclusion: Heavy metal levels in VPM were below the permitted limit according to AYUSH's PLIM guidelines. Aflatoxins and pesticide residues were absent from the latest batch of VPM, as were microorganisms and specific diseases. As a consequence, the current study demonstrates that the formulation is safe to use in therapeutic settings.

 

Author(s) Details:

S. M. Chitra,
Department of Post Graduate Maruthuvam, Government Siddha Medical College, Arumbakkam, Chennai-106, Tamil Nadu, India.

N. Anbu,
Department of Post Graduate Maruthuvam, Government Siddha Medical College, Arumbakkam, Chennai-106, Tamil Nadu, India.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/CAPR-V2/article/view/6583

Determination of Antifungal and Anti-Aflatoxigenic Activity of the Essential Oil of Lippia lasiocalycina Cham (Verbenacea) | Chapter 3 | Current Aspects in Pharmaceutical Research and Development Vol. 2

 Food contamination by aflatoxin-producing fungus species results in significant financial losses and has a direct impact on consumer health. The hunt for more natural preservation methods has piqued interest in the antifungal properties of essential oils. The goal of this study was to see if Lippia lasiocalycina essential oil might reduce fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 generation in Aspergillus flavus strains. A strain of Aspergillus flavus was used to evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentration of L. lasiocalycina essential oil. Direct contact and the action of volatile chemicals were used to investigate the potential for inhibiting fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 generation. HPLC was used to determine the amount of aflatoxin produced. By direct contact, L. lasiocalycina essential oil prevented 94 percent of Aspergillus flavus growth, and the volatile components enhanced aflatoxin B1 synthesis. The essential oil of Lippia lasiocalycina has been shown to be useful in the manufacture of aflatoxin B1, which is sold as a standard for scientific research.

Author(s) Details

Wanessa Sales de Almeida
Department of Food and Nutrition, Federal University of Piauí, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portela, Teresina, PI, Brazil.

Sidney Gonçalo de Lima
Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Postgraduate Program in Chemistry, Federal University of Piauí, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portela, Teresina, PI, Brazil.

Marcelo Costa dos Santos
Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Postgraduate Program in Chemistry, Federal University of Piauí, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portela, Teresina, PI, Brazil.

Cândido Athayde Sobrinho
Embrapa Mid-North, Teresina – PI, Brazil.

Rafael Gomes Abreu Bacelar
Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Piauí, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portela, Teresina, PI, Brazil.

Maria Christina Sanches Muratori
Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Piauí, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portela, Teresina, PI, Brazil.

View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/CAPRD-V2/article/view/3951

Investigating Aflatoxins in Body Fluids and Food of Nigerian Children with Protein- Energy Malnutrition | Chapter 14 | Current Topics in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 11

 Aflatoxins are natural food crop pollutants that are involved in the pathogenesis of different human diseases. Aflatoxins are natural pollutants in food crops, including milk, meat, and dried fruit, such as cereals, oilseeds, spices, and tree nuts. Various deleterious health effects, such as hepatotoxicity, liver cancer, miscarriage, malnutrition, growth retardation and immunosuppression, have been associated with acute and chronic exposure to aflatoxins. Nearly 30% of children under 5 years of age in Nigeria are malnourished[12], but research indicating a potential role for aflatoxin in PEM were focused solely on the discovery of high aflatoxin concentrations in autopsy lung, kidney and liver specimens of children who died of kwashiorkor. The goal of this study was to determine the associations between aflatoxins and protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in Nigerian children with PEM by measuring aflatoxins in serum, urine and food. A cross-sectional study of 79 children with PEM (kwashiorkor n=36, marasmic kwashiorkor n=29 and marasmus n=13) and 33 healthy controls, matched by age and sex, was conducted in 3 agro-ecological regions of Nigeria (Guinea savannah, Sudan savannah and Rainforest) where aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, M1 and M2 were measured in serum, urine and platelet food. The detection rates of aflatoxin among healthy controls were higher in the Guinea Savannah (72.2 percent) than in the Sudan Savannah (53.8 percent), although statistically insignificant. In comparison to dietary classes, aflatoxin identification concentrations were higher in patients with marasmic kwashiorkor (93.1%) and kwashiorkor (88.9%), compared with marasmus (76.9%) and controls (63.6%, p=0.013). The B1 aflatoxin detection rates followed a similar pattern, i.e. Marasmic Kwashiorkor (82.4%), Kwashiorkor (69.4%), Marasmus (53.8%), and controls (42.4%, p=0.007). M2 had the highest detection rates in all patient groups and controls of all forms of aflatoxins detected in serum. The median concentrations of aflatoxins detected in serum in each PEM group were significantly higher than in the control group, but there were no statistically meaningful comparisons between the PEM groups. The frequency and concentrations of aflatoxins found in urine and food were not statistically different in the PEM and control groups. However as opposed to PEM patients, the controls had the lowest serum/urine aflatoxin ratio as well as the lowest median aflatoxin concentrations in their food. In conclusion, aflatoxins are commonly found in Nigerian children's body fluids and food, but more often and at higher concentrations in PEM children, likely due to reduced excretion or increased exposure. If aflatoxins contribute to the pathogenesis of all forms of PEM and not necessarily kwashiorkor alone, future prospective studies are desirable to evaluate.

Author(s) Details

Prof. G. C. Onyemelukwe
Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria.

D. Ogoina
Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria.

G. E. Ibiam
Department of Boichemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

G. H. Ogbadu
Department of Boichemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

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