Dietary Exposure and Health Risk Assessment of Aflatoxin B1 in Stored Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and Maize (Zea mays) Samples of Katsina State, Nigeria

Aflatoxin B1 contamination in food is a significant global health challenge, particularly affecting children, leading to delayed development, stunted growth, liver damage, and liver cancer. The study was carried out in 2024 in Katsina State, Nigeria. A study aimed to determine the levels of aflatoxin B1 and attendant health risks to the population from consumption of stored groundnut and maize samples in the three senatorial zones of Katsina State (Katsina, Daura, Funtua). The quantification of Aflatoxins in the samples was conducted using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The growth of fungal species was determined using the spread-plate method after dilution. Risk characterization was conducted based on the margin of exposure (MOE) and the liver cancer approach. The results revealed that 90% and 95% of Groundnut and Maize samples collected from all three geopolitical zones of Katsina State were contaminated with either Aspergillus flavus or Aspergillus parasiticus, respectively. From the results, all the samples contain aflatoxin B1 levels above the permissible limit of Nigeria (20µg/kg), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) (4µg/kg). There was no significant difference in the mycological analysis of the samples in all three zones of the State. The calculated MOE values were lower than 10,000, pointing to a public health risk that may arise due to AFB1 exposure through the consumption of the study samples.