Tuo zaafi , a traditional dish prepared from cereals and often accompanied by dark green vegetable soup, is a revered dish well known for its medicinal and nutritional attributes. The cereals are usually prone to mycotoxin contamination. This study aimed to determine fungal diversity, mycotoxin contamination (Ochratoxin A, Aflatoxins, Fumonisins), and consumer risk associated with tuo-zaafi in the northern regions of Ghana. Fungi were identified using standard mycology protocols, and a high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) was used to analyze mycotoxin levels in the samples. Cancer risk assessments were done using deterministic models proposed by a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Additives. The fungal counts were between the ranges of 3.19 and 4.27 log10 CFU/g. Some species of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Saccharomyces contaminated the food samples. Additionally, Aflatoxins (13.05–24.51 µg/kg) and Fumonisins (101.59–126.18 µg/kg) exceeded regulatory limits set by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in a majority of samples. Risk assessment based on Margin of Exposure (MOE) calculations revealed values below 10,000, indicating a significant carcinogenic public health concern. These findings highlight the urgent need for regulatory interventions and public awareness campaigns to mitigate mycotoxin exposure. • The majority of the ‘tuo-zaafi’ samples were infected with toxicogenic fungi • The majority of the fungal counts in ‘tuo-zaafi’ samples exceeded limits set by the International Microbiological Specifications of Foods. • Exposure to aflatoxins results from the consumption of cereals infected with toxicogenic fungi. • Risk assessment revealed an exposure to cancer and was of public health concern • Exposure to fumonisins in the Tuo zaafi samples were less than GSA set limit.
Kortei et al. (Wed,) studied this question.