ISSN 2756-3391
African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 13 (7), pp. 001-008, July, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Distribution of Aspergillus Section Flavi in Maize Across Different Agro-Ecological Zones in Benin
Yann Christie Sissinto Adjovi*1,2, Raoul Koulony2, Mènonvè M. Atindehou2, Eugénie Anago2 and Ambaliou Sanni2
1Ecole des Sciences et Techniques de Conservation et de Transformation des Produits Agricoles / Université Nationale d’Agriculture. BP 114, Sakété (Benin).
2Unité de Biochimie et de Biologie Moléculaire / Université d’Abomey-Calavi. 04BP0320 Cotonou (Benin)
3Ecole polytechnique de l’Université d’Abomey-Calavi / Université d’Abomey-Calavi
Accepted 26 April, 2025
Maize is the first cereal grown in the world and adapted as a food crop in sub-Saharan Africa. In Benin, it is the leading cereal crop with nearly 70% of the cereal area sown. But the post-harvest storage conditions of these cereals favour the development of moulds and mycotoxins. Previous work has revealed Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxins in stored maize, naturally occurring substances that are carcinogenic to humans. The objective of this work is to evaluate the contamination of maize in storage by agro-ecological area. To do this, the study had collected 50 samples from différents agro-ecological zones in Benin. On them, evaluated aflatoxin contamination by HPLC-PDA, determined total fungal flora by direct culture and aflatoxinogenic nature of strains of Aspergillus Flavi by culture in différents media and thin layer chromatography. At the end of this work, 30.43% of the samples collected are contaminated by aflatoxins with an average of 6,41µg/kg. Contaminated samples were taken from agro-ecological zones 1, 3, 5 and 6 with mean aflatoxins levels of 1.88 µg/Kg; 5.81 µg/Kg; 8.38 µg/Kg and 9.59 µg/Kg respectively. Mycological analysis revealed five fungal genre : Aspergillus (53.38%), Fusarium (23.31%), Penicillium (17.29%), Rhizopus (2.26%) and Mucor (1.50%). By agro-ecological zone, a similarity is noted with regard to the total fungal flora. Of the 67 strains of Aspergillus Flavi isolated, 65 are aflatoxin-producing and the highest incidence found in agro-ecological zone 6 followed by zone 5. The contamination of maize stored in Benin by aflatoxins and the various subspecies of the Flavi section follows a distribution by agro-ecological zone due to different climatic conditions. The production of a distribution map of pathogenic strains by speculation could help to monitor the evolution of the quality of agricultural products.
Keywords: Map, aflatoxins, fungi, climate.