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Articles

CJHL: VOL. 2, NO. 2, December 2024

A Survey of Fungal Contamination and their Metabolites in Street-vended Tiger Nuts and Dates in Lagos State, Nigeria Using LCMS/MS Analysis

Submitted
January 9, 2025
Published
2024-12-02

Abstract

Tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus) and dates (Phoenix dactylifera) are commonly consumed raw, posing potential health risks. This study investigated fungal contamination and mycotoxin presence in 54 composite samples from 18 Lagos State markets. Moisture content, frequency of occurrence of fungi, aflatoxigenic potential and presence of fungal metabolites were determined using standard methods and Liquid Chromatography with tandem Mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Moisture content and CFU/mL of nuts ranged between 8.00 - 38.83%, and 1.60 x 104 - 3.10 x 105cfu/mL. Fungal genera isolated include Aspergillus (11.80%), Fusarium (3.89%), Penicillium, Saccharomyces (38.25%), and Candida (41.2%). An aggregate of 26 fungal metabolites (15 regulated and 11 unregulated) were detected in the nuts and dates. Fusarium-producing toxins; FB1, FB2 and FB3 (regulated mycotoxin) and Fusaric acid metabolite (emerging mycotoxins) produced the highest concentration (20.00 ±0.0 and 81.5µg/kg ± 2.4 respectively) of toxins among the metabolites, while Aflatoxin B1 and B2 concentrations ranked the least (0.2-2.05µg/kg ±0.1). This is the first report to document the occurrence of fusaric acid and emerging mycotoxins (Enniatin A, A1, B, and B1) in tiger nuts and dates consumed in Lagos, Nigeria. Notably, the unusually high levels of fusaric acid detected in these nuts raise concerns due to its potential health impacts. These findings will inform policymakers and relevant institutions in ensuring public safety.