Aflatoxin Contamination in Food and Body Fluids in Relation to Malnutrition and Cancer Status in Cameroon

Aflatoxins are food contaminants usually associated with hepatitis, immunodepression, impairment of fertility and cancer. The present work was to determine the presence of aflatoxins in eggs, milk, urine, and blood samples that were collected from various sources and periods; and hepatitis B virus antigen in blood samples. Aflatoxin was found in eggs (45.2%), cow raw milk (15.9%), breast milk (4.8%), urine from kwashiorkor and marasmic kwashiorkor children (45.5%), and sera from primary liver cancer patients (63.9%); HbsAg was also detected in 69.4% of the serum samples, but there was no association between both factors. Both AF and hepatitis B virus seem to be risk factors that could increase the incidence and prevalence rates of malnutrition and cancer in Cameroon

Evaluation of non-polar bonded-phases for the clean-up of maize extracts prior to aflatoxin assay by HPTLC

The ability of a PH non-polar bonded phase to extract aflatoxin from aqueous solutions (1% v/v) containing 5, 10, 20 and 30% acetone, acetonitrile or methanol was determined. The amount of aflatoxin extracted by the cartridge from aqueous solutions remained almost constant (97–102%) as the concentration of methanol increased, but decreased rapidly when the amount of acetone or acetonitrile increased beyond 10%. Examination of the ability of a number of bonded phases (C2, C8, C18, CH and PH) to extract aflatoxin from aqueous methanol extracts of maize revealed that the PH bonded phase was the most efficient. Aflatoxin is eluted from the cartridge by chloroform (7 ml). An additional clean-up step involving bi-directional development was required when quantifying low levels of aflatoxin in maize by HPTLC