Critical Periods of Aflatoxin Contamination of Maize during Post-Harvest Management in Velingara (Senegal)

Abstract

Contrasting with the favorable climatic and environmental conditions, improper post-harvest management of cereals is often responsible for high levels contamination of aflatoxin in Africa. This study aimed at identifying critical periods of aflatoxin concentrations in cereals. Thus, a survey followed by sampling at each stage of production for aflatoxin quantification using the AFLA-V AQUA test procedure (0-100 ppb) was carried out at different farmer sites in Velingara. The survey revealed that only 9.36% of farmers were aware of molds and aflatoxin. Quantification of aflatoxin revealed that only 4.9% of farmers had contaminated crops in the first stage of harvest (ears drying). However, during traditional storage, the contamination rate increased up to 39%, proportional to the aflatoxin level that reaches 70 ppb. Two stages of the post-harvest management were particularly critical in the accumulation of aflatoxin in cereals: drying, especially the bare cobs and storage.