assessment of aflatoxin b1 (afb1) in stored groundnuts in nasarawa state

Aflatoxin b1 is the most common, toxic, and carcinogenic aflatoxin produced by some species of aspergillus. this study assessed the distribution, prevalence and concentration levels of afb1, and the moisture content of groundnut stored in nasarawa state. a total of 300 groundnut samples were collected from rubum and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively for afb1 using standard thin layer chromatography procedures. results indicated a 90% prevalence rate of afb1 in the samples, with concentration levels ranging from 11.49±9.15µg kg^-1 to 76.29±14.39µg kg^-1. the groundnut samples had a moisture content of 3.66±3.21% to 6.26±2.48%, which was observed to be positively and significantly correlated to afb1 levels. about 51% and 60% of the samples had afb1 levels above the limits of the standard organisation of nigeria and united states food and drug administration (>20µg kg^-1) and the european union (4µg/kg) respectively. all samples (100%) from nasarawa eggon, wamba, karu, and nasarawa lgas had detectable limits of afb1, while doma and obi had the lowest rate of positive samples (73.91%). toto (78.26%) and nasarawa eggon (73.91%) lgas had afb1 levels above eu and son/usfda recommended limits. samples from nasarawa north (38.51±26.01µg kg^-1) agricultural zone had the highest afb1 concentration levels and moisture contents, followed by nasarawa south (34.03±9.72µg kg^-1) while nasarawa west (28.15±21.28µg kg^-1) had the least values. the concentration levels of afb1 and moisture content varied significantly (p<0.05) across both lgas and agricultural zones. the findings of this study raise considerable health concerns. there is a need for improved consumer awareness, routine assessment of groundnut and groundnut products, and improvement in storage practices to curtail outbreaks of afb1 ingestion and intoxication.