Hydrogen cyanide and mycotoxins: Their incidence and dietary exposure from cassava products in Anyigba, Nigeria

Abstract

While cassava products are important in addressing food security crises in Africa, they are not exempted from recurring food safety concerns. This research determined consumption, incidence, and concentrations of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), total aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisins (FBs) in cassava product (casava flour, fufu and gari) among residents of Anyigba, Nigeria, and also estimated dietary exposure to the toxins from the foods. Consumption data from 82 households showed that 89%, 68% and 94% of the residents consume cassava flour, fufu, and gari, respectively. Average daily intake for individuals was 0.751, 0.111, and 0.120 kg of cassava flour, fufu, and gari respectively. The highest incidence and concentration of HCN were found in cassava flour, with %TDI (EDI) of 33.3% (0.03 mg/kg.bw/day). Weekly, residents are exposed to 0.0371, 0.0077 and 0.0224 μg/kg.bw of OTA, and daily to 0.0315, 0.0043, 0.0060 μg/kg.bw of AFs and 0.0000, 0.0025, 0.0004 μg/kg.bw of FBs from consumption of cassava flour, fufu, and gari, respectively. The mycotoxins also co-occurred in the food products.