Level of Mycotoxins Consumption and Burden of Aflatoxin-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in People subsisting on sorghum based products in Nigeria: A Risk Assessment

Abstract Sorghum is a local grain that grows predominantly in the semi-arid, savannah and grassland region of Northern Nigeria and other parts of the world. Sorghum samples were collected from five districts in each of the six agro-ecological zones. In contrast the sorghum based products such as gruel, pap and porridge were sampled using A quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) followed by measurement of the body weight and the quantity of food consumed by the respondents. The mycotoxin concentrations in both raw sorghum sample and the sorghum based products was determined using High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mycotoxin concentrations determined from the two different samples were used to determine the amount of mycotoxins consumed by respondents from different age groups and subsequently the burden of aflatoxin induced Hepato cellular carcinoma(HCC) in communities that subsist on sorghum and sorghum-based products. There was a significant difference (P = 0.05) between the concentration of the mycotoxins in the raw and the processed sorghum samples in all the agro-ecological zones with the exemption of zearalenone from the Southern guinea savannah (SGS) that was observed to increase by 272.3% in pap (kamu/ogi) sample and aflatoxin and ochratoxin in porridge sample from the Sudan savannah that was observed to increase by 70.0 and 66.7% respectively. The processing methods employed in the in the preparation of these products could not reduce the toxin level below the PTDI and TDI levels set by the regulatory agencies. Average daily consumption of sorghum based products based on age range was found to be 192.5g/day, 617.0g/day, 810.2g/day and 746.1g/day for the infants, children, adults and elderly respectively The incidence of HCC and the burden aflatoxin induced HCC in the HbeAg and the HbsAg populations alarmingly high and appeared to increase in severity from forested derived savannah region towards the drier savannah areas in the hinterlands. Sorghum is a major grain corn in the world agricultural economy and represents an important staple food for the populations of many developing countries. The cereal is part of the diet of millions of people, representing for them a major source of energy and nutrients. Nevertheless, the nutritional value of sorghum as human food, as well as a feed material for food-producing animals, is impaired by its infection by fungi and fungal metabolites which calls for urgent mitigation strategies to avoid health emergencies particularly in the poverty stricken countries of the sub Saharan Africa where this crop is a common staple.