Prepared for COMESA aflatoxin workshop in Malawi

Joao Augusto, Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, Juliet Akello, Joseph Atehnkeng

March 11, Lilongwe, Malawi

Aflatoxin Outlook in Mozambique

Outline

Background information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Aflatoxin regulations and monitoring in Mozambique

Ongoing research and technology options

Gaps to be addressed

Background Information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Late 1970’s – Intake of aflatoxin contaminated food, especially from groundnut, linked to high prevalence of liver cancer in Southern Mozambique

Late 1990’s to date – Rejection of groundnut and groundnut products by the EU for exceeding aflatoxin legal limits

Background Information about aflatoxins in MozambiqueNotifications of Mozambican groundnut products by EU market:

Date Product type Notification type Subject

5/2/2007 food alert aflatoxins (B1 = 12; Tot. = 14.2 µg/kg - ppb) in peanut kernels from Mozambique

3/19/2007 food information aflatoxins (B1 = 44.6; Tot. = 57.0 µg/kg - ppb) in groundnuts from Mozambique

6/11/2007 food information aflatoxins (B1 = 4.8; Tot. = 7.5 µg/kg - ppb) in groundnut kernels from Mozambique via the United Kingdom and via the Netherlands

4/7/2009 food border rejection aflatoxins (B1 = 34.5; Tot. = 52.2 / B1 = 3.1; Tot. = 3.6 µg/kg - ppb) in peanuts from Mozambique

4/7/2009 food border rejection aflatoxins (B1 = 6.7; Tot. = 18.9 / B1 = 0.9; Tot. = 4.6 / B1 = 1.9; Tot. = 4.4 µg/kg - ppb) in peanuts from Mozambique

12/30/2009 feed information aflatoxins (B1 = 120 mg/kg - ppm) in groundnuts for birdseed from Mozambique

Source: RASFF portal, 2011

Background Information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Late 1970’s – Intake of aflatoxin contaminated food, especially from groundnut, linked to high prevalence of liver cancer in Southern Mozambique

Late 1990’s to date – Rejection of groundnut and groundnut products by the EU for exceeding aflatoxin legal limits

Survey in 2013 – identification of aflatoxin hot-spot areas for maize and groundnut in central and northern Mozambique (USAID-Moz grant)

Outline

Background information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Aflatoxin regulations and monitoring in Mozambique

Ongoing research and technology options

Gaps to be addressed

Aflatoxin regulations and monitoring in MozambiqueAccording to FAO (1994) – There are aflatoxin

regulations in Mozambique (but not enforced)

Universidade Lurio (UniLurio) in northern Mozambique – Aflatoxin testing and monitoring for different crops (but the lab is not accredited)

Madal Ltd in central Mozambique – private company working with some 3,000 groundnut farmers (sorting and aflatoxin testing for the farmers)

Outline

Background information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Aflatoxin regulations and monitoring in Mozambique

Ongoing research and technology options

Gaps to be addressed

Aflatoxin surveillance in Mozambique Conducted at harvest, May-June, 2013

In Northern and Central regions, but with emphasis to Nacala Corridor

Selection criteria for the locations: (a) maize and groundnut in the same area (but sampling will be as far as possible from each sampling point); (b) number of districts in each province; (c) distribution in altitude; (d) cropping systems; and (e) accessibility

Materials: “Sampling procedures” for survey, “Sampling questionnaires” for each survey group, colored-printed and laminated mycotoxin factsheets in Portuguese, GPS handsets, etc

Objectives of the surveillance

Estimate magnitude of aflatoxins

Determine geographic distribution of aflatoxins

Facilitate planning

Determine magnitude of aflatoxins

n=283

n=307

Determine magnitude of aflatoxins

Distribution of aflatoxins: by region

Crop RegionFrequency of aflatoxin negatives

(%)

Frequency of aflatoxin

positives

(%)

Aflatoxin concentration

range

(ppb)

Groundnut NORTHERN 40.7

(n=110)59.3

(n=137)

0.0 – 5,673.5

CENTRAL 33.3

(n=12)

66.7

(n=24)

0.0 – 710.7

Maize NORTHERN 47.1

(n=111)52.9

(n=92)

0.0 – 687.1

CENTRAL 40.0

(n=45)

60.0

(n=62)

0.0 – 160.1

Distribution of aflatoxins: by province

Crop Province

Freq. aflatoxin negatives

(%)

Freq. aflatoxin positives

(%)

Aflatoxin concentration range

(ppb)

Groundnut

NIASSA 53.8 (n=14) 46.2 (n=12) 0.0 – 5,673.5NAMPULA 45.7 (n=91) 54.3 (n=108) 0.0 – 3,121.2ZAMBEZIA 46.2 (n=6) 53.8 (n=7) 0.0 – 710.7CABO DELGADO 22.7 (n=5) 77.3 (n=17) 0.0 – 83.4MANICA 28.6 (n=2) 71.4 (n=5) 0.0 – 9.0TETE 25.0 (n=4) 75.0 (n=12) 0.0 – 6.0

Maize

NAMPULA 58.0 (n=69) 42.0 (n=50) 0.0 – 687.1ZAMBEZIA 52.8 (n=19) 47.2 (n=17) 0.0 – 160.1CABO DELGADO 26.3 (n=5) 73.7 (n=14) 0.0 – 133.5NIASSA 56.9 (n=37) 43.1 (n=28) 0.0 – 117.0TETE 34.0 (n=18) 66.0 (n=35) 0.0 – 46.8MANICA 33.3 (n=5) 66.7 (n=10) 0.0 – 27.0

Distribution of aflatoxins: by levels% g’dnut samples at harvest (n=283) % maize samples at harvest (n=307)

crop Frequency aflatoxin at harvest in Northern region (%)

Frequency aflatoxin at harvest in Central region (%)

4 ppb 20 ppb 20 ppb 4 ppb 20 ppb 20 ppb

G’dnut 63.2 (n=156)

75.7 (n=187)

24.3 (n=60)

66.7 (n=24)

94.4 (n=34)

5.6 (n=2)

Maize 69.5 (n=141)

96.6 (n=196)

3.4 (n=7)

51.9 (n=54)

91.3 (n=95)

8.7 (n=9)

Awareness raising about aflatoxins

Outline

Background information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Aflatoxin regulations and monitoring in Mozambique

Ongoing research and technology options

Gaps to be addressed

Identifying, selecting atoxigenic strains for aflatoxin biocontrol More than 400 atoxigenic L-strains of Aspergillus

flavus identified from maize and groundnut

Most competitive and widely distributed atoxigenic strains, with no toxigenic member in their VCG groups, will be selected

Selected 8-12 VCG strains to be formulated in aflasafe-Moz biocontrol products for testing in farmers’ fields in 2014 crop growing season

Outline

Background information about aflatoxins in Mozambique

Aflatoxin regulations and monitoring in Mozambique

Ongoing research and technology options

Gaps to be addressed

Gaps to be addressed

Infrastructure and human capacity building, polices

Equipping and certifying laboratories

Recruiting and training Mozambican technicians and students

Awareness raising

Advocacy, regulations and enforcement

Donors & Partners

Dr. Peter Cotty – USDA-FAS at University of Arizona-Tucson