Natural occurrence of Aflatoxin B1 in peanut collected from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Aflatoxin B1 is a potent carcinogen to both animal and human health. Since peanut is a suitable substrate for aflatoxin production as well as an important oilseed and food in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the risk of consuming aflatoxin-contaminated peanuts is very high. This paper assessed the natural occurrence of aflatoxin B1 in raw peanuts collected in rural areas of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 60 peanut samples were analyzed for aflatoxin 01, using thin layer chromatography. The results show that aflatoxin B1 levels increased from the dry season to the rainy season with values ranging from 1.5 to 390 and 12 to 937, respectively. 70% of the peanut samples from both seasons exceeded the maximum limit of 5 mu g/kg prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). As the Democratic Republic of Congo is amongst African countries listed with high prevalence of liver cancer, continuous research on aflatoxin B1 is sought after. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.