Impact of Toxigenic Fungi: An Economic and Health Obstruction to Wellness in Mozambique

Abstract

Food safety is a major concern worldwide. Food-crop contamination by fungi and mycotoxins is a common occurrence causing persistent exposure that raises critical health problems and economic losses. Food and feeds are frequently tainted by multiple contaminants, such as trace elements, heavy metals, dioxins, pesticides, and mycotoxins. Most African countries lack the ability to enforce international food safety regulations and face frequent rejection of exportable raw food materials leading to financial burden and increased intramural consumption of contaminated products. The literature on mycotoxins is extremely vast, investigating or reporting cellular mechanisms and toxicity, associated pathology and animal performance, effects of these compounds on general malnutrition and on human health. However, different sampling and analytical methods for research has hindered progress, data collection and interpretation. Innovative and promising commercial solutions of technological biocontrol have been approved in few African countries but may not be the sole and long-lasting solution for the management of mycotoxins. We describe an economic burden in Mozambique of naturally occurring toxigenic fungi moulds in banana plantations, and a public health impact from non-rotating crops of cassava, groundnutsб and maize. Finally, we mention our moderate role in surveillance and monitoring of mycotoxins in family smallholder farmers, informal markets, and cooperatives.