,
Thibaut Gbeyetin Fidèle Dohoue,
Agossou Damien Pacôme Noumavo,
Serge Candide Kponou,
Yemissi Sandra Gaelle Amoussou,
Lamine Baba-Moussa,
Farid Baba-Moussa
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a genotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius, moulds that contaminate cereals, including maize (Zea mays L.), which is widely consumed in Benin. The aim of this study was to assess the level of dietary exposure to AFB1 in maize sold and consumed in the municipality of Cotonou. Thirty-eight samples of maize grain collected from markets in Cotonou were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. AFB1 dietary exposure was estimated based on the measured concentrations and maize consumption data. The results of the analyses show a wide range of AFB1 contamination levels in the samples, ranging from 1 to 104 µg/kg. Of the samples analysed, 81.57% had levels exceeding the regulatory limit set for AFB1. Average maize consumption was estimated at 136.22 kg/person/year, or 0.37 kg/person/day. AFB1 daily exposure was estimated to 0.07 µg/kg body weight/day. These results reveal high levels of AFB1 contamination in maize in the municipality of Cotonou and highlight chronic dietary exposure that may pose a health risk to consumers. Strengthening measures for monitoring, quality control and post-harvest management of maize appears necessary in order to reduce the population’s exposure to this mycotoxin.
| Published in | Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 14, Issue 5) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17 |
| Page(s) | 335-340 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Aflatoxins, AFB1, Maize, Dietary Exposure, Food Intoxication, Moulds, Aspergillus, Benin
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APA Style
Alassane, M. N. M. E., Dohoue, T. G. F., Noumavo, A. D. P., Kponou, S. C., Amoussou, Y. S. G., et al. (2026). Dietary Exposure to Genotoxic Mycotoxins in Maize (Zea mays L.) Grains Consumed in Cotonou Municipality (Benin): the Case of Aflatoxin B1. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 14(5), 335-340. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17
ACS Style
Alassane, M. N. M. E.; Dohoue, T. G. F.; Noumavo, A. D. P.; Kponou, S. C.; Amoussou, Y. S. G., et al. Dietary Exposure to Genotoxic Mycotoxins in Maize (Zea mays L.) Grains Consumed in Cotonou Municipality (Benin): the Case of Aflatoxin B1. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2026, 14(5), 335-340. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17
AMA Style
Alassane MNME, Dohoue TGF, Noumavo ADP, Kponou SC, Amoussou YSG, et al. Dietary Exposure to Genotoxic Mycotoxins in Maize (Zea mays L.) Grains Consumed in Cotonou Municipality (Benin): the Case of Aflatoxin B1. J Food Nutr Sci. 2026;14(5):335-340. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17
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Download@article{10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17,
author = {Mouhamed Nazif Moutawakilou El-Hadji Alassane and Thibaut Gbeyetin Fidèle Dohoue and Agossou Damien Pacôme Noumavo and Serge Candide Kponou and Yemissi Sandra Gaelle Amoussou and Lamine Baba-Moussa and Farid Baba-Moussa},
title = {Dietary Exposure to Genotoxic Mycotoxins in Maize
(Zea mays L.) Grains Consumed in Cotonou Municipality (Benin): the Case of Aflatoxin B1},
journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
volume = {14},
number = {5},
pages = {335-340},
doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20261405.17},
abstract = {Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a genotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius, moulds that contaminate cereals, including maize (Zea mays L.), which is widely consumed in Benin. The aim of this study was to assess the level of dietary exposure to AFB1 in maize sold and consumed in the municipality of Cotonou. Thirty-eight samples of maize grain collected from markets in Cotonou were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. AFB1 dietary exposure was estimated based on the measured concentrations and maize consumption data. The results of the analyses show a wide range of AFB1 contamination levels in the samples, ranging from 1 to 104 µg/kg. Of the samples analysed, 81.57% had levels exceeding the regulatory limit set for AFB1. Average maize consumption was estimated at 136.22 kg/person/year, or 0.37 kg/person/day. AFB1 daily exposure was estimated to 0.07 µg/kg body weight/day. These results reveal high levels of AFB1 contamination in maize in the municipality of Cotonou and highlight chronic dietary exposure that may pose a health risk to consumers. Strengthening measures for monitoring, quality control and post-harvest management of maize appears necessary in order to reduce the population’s exposure to this mycotoxin.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Dietary Exposure to Genotoxic Mycotoxins in Maize (Zea mays L.) Grains Consumed in Cotonou Municipality (Benin): the Case of Aflatoxin B1 AU - Mouhamed Nazif Moutawakilou El-Hadji Alassane AU - Thibaut Gbeyetin Fidèle Dohoue AU - Agossou Damien Pacôme Noumavo AU - Serge Candide Kponou AU - Yemissi Sandra Gaelle Amoussou AU - Lamine Baba-Moussa AU - Farid Baba-Moussa Y1 - 2026/09/29 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17 DO - 10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17 T2 - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences JF - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences JO - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences SP - 335 EP - 340 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7293 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20261405.17 AB - Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a genotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius, moulds that contaminate cereals, including maize (Zea mays L.), which is widely consumed in Benin. The aim of this study was to assess the level of dietary exposure to AFB1 in maize sold and consumed in the municipality of Cotonou. Thirty-eight samples of maize grain collected from markets in Cotonou were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. AFB1 dietary exposure was estimated based on the measured concentrations and maize consumption data. The results of the analyses show a wide range of AFB1 contamination levels in the samples, ranging from 1 to 104 µg/kg. Of the samples analysed, 81.57% had levels exceeding the regulatory limit set for AFB1. Average maize consumption was estimated at 136.22 kg/person/year, or 0.37 kg/person/day. AFB1 daily exposure was estimated to 0.07 µg/kg body weight/day. These results reveal high levels of AFB1 contamination in maize in the municipality of Cotonou and highlight chronic dietary exposure that may pose a health risk to consumers. Strengthening measures for monitoring, quality control and post-harvest management of maize appears necessary in order to reduce the population’s exposure to this mycotoxin. VL - 14 IS - 5 ER -
Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin;Agro Sciences Laboratory (ASL), Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Cotonou, Benin
Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Agro Sciences Laboratory (ASL), Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Agro Sciences Laboratory (ASL), Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
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