TY - JOUR
T1 - Study of an Educational Hand Sorting Intervention for Reducing Aflatoxin B in Groundnuts in Rural Gambia
AU - Xu, Y A
AU - Doel, Andrew
AU - Watson, Sinead
AU - Routledge, Michael N
AU - Elliott, Christopher T
AU - Moore, Sophie E
AU - Gong, Yun Yun
PY - 2017/1
Y1 - 2017/1
N2 - Aflatoxin, a human liver carcinogen, frequently contaminates groundnuts, maize, rice, and other grains, especially in Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention that involved training rural Gambian women on how to identify and remove moldy groundnuts to reduce aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. In total, 25 women, recruited from the West Kiang region of The Gambia, were trained on how to recognize and remove moldy groundnuts. Market-purchased groundnuts were hand sorted by the women. Groundnuts were sampled at baseline (n =5), after hand sorting ("clean," n =25 and "moldy," n =25), and after roasting (n =5). All samples were analyzed for AFB1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A reduction of 42.9% was achieved based on the median AFB1 levels at baseline and after hand sorting (clean groundnuts), whereas an alternative estimate, based on the total AFB1 in moldy and clean groundnuts, indicated a reduction of 96.7%, with a loss of only 2% of the groundnuts. By roasting the already clean sorted groundnuts, the AFB1 reduction achieved (based on median levels) was 39.3%. This educational intervention on how to identify and remove moldy groundnuts was simple and effective in reducing AFB1 contamination.
AB - Aflatoxin, a human liver carcinogen, frequently contaminates groundnuts, maize, rice, and other grains, especially in Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention that involved training rural Gambian women on how to identify and remove moldy groundnuts to reduce aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. In total, 25 women, recruited from the West Kiang region of The Gambia, were trained on how to recognize and remove moldy groundnuts. Market-purchased groundnuts were hand sorted by the women. Groundnuts were sampled at baseline (n =5), after hand sorting ("clean," n =25 and "moldy," n =25), and after roasting (n =5). All samples were analyzed for AFB1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A reduction of 42.9% was achieved based on the median AFB1 levels at baseline and after hand sorting (clean groundnuts), whereas an alternative estimate, based on the total AFB1 in moldy and clean groundnuts, indicated a reduction of 96.7%, with a loss of only 2% of the groundnuts. By roasting the already clean sorted groundnuts, the AFB1 reduction achieved (based on median levels) was 39.3%. This educational intervention on how to identify and remove moldy groundnuts was simple and effective in reducing AFB1 contamination.
KW - Aflatoxin B1
KW - Aflatoxins
KW - Arachis
KW - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
KW - Female
KW - Gambia
KW - Humans
U2 - 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-152
DO - 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-152
M3 - Article
C2 - 28198655
SN - 0362-028X
VL - 80
SP - 44
EP - 49
JO - JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
JF - JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
IS - 1
ER -