UC Berkeley

Aflatoxin contamination of staple food commodities is one of the most critical food safety threats in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, systematic surveillance data from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain exceedingly scarce. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), and G2 (AFG2) in 43 food samples comprising maize (Zea mays L.) raw grain (n = 18), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) raw tuber (n = 11), and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) raw grain (n = 14), collected from two retail markets in Kinshasa, DRC. Analyses performed by reverse-phase HPLC coupled with fluorescence detection and Kobra® electrochemical post-column derivatization revealed the presence of aflatoxins in 41 of 43 samples, with AFB1 being the most prevalent aflatoxin (95.35%), followed by AFB2 (55.81%), AFG1 (44.19%), and AFG2 (34.88%). Total aflatoxin concentrations ranged from below the detection limit to 191.20 μg/kg, with a mean of 16.40 μg/kg. Most samples exceeded the EU AFB1 regulatory limit of 2 μg/kg and the EU total aflatoxin limit of 4 μg/kg. Temperature and relative humidity recorded across eight food storage depots at both retail markets ranged from 29.60 to 30.90 °C and 34.00 to 56.00%, respectively, and serve as indicative of the prevailing storage environment, which may contribute to Aspergillus proliferation and aflatoxin biosynthesis at retail markets in Kinshasa. Future work that combine dietary exposure assessment, quantitative risk modeling, and multi-mycotoxin profiling across Kinshasa and all provinces of the DRC is needed to fully characterize the public health burden and inform evidence-based intervention strategies.