Abstract:
Niger seed is commonly known as "noug" and is Ethiopia's second most produced oilseed
crop. The byproduct of niger seed obtained after the removal of most of its oil is known
as niger seed cake which is used as nutritious livestock feed. Oilseed cakes, particularly
niger seed cake, are susceptible to mold infection and mycotoxin production. Mycotoxins
are toxic secondary metabolites produced by different toxigenic mold species. This study
aimed to investigate the incidences and levels of total aflatoxins (AFT), ochratoxin A
(OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), and fumonisin (FUM) in niger seed cake samples
collected from oil millers and LSFs(livestock farmers) in Bahir Dar and nearby towns,
and to identify niger seed cake storage techniques suitable for prevention of mold growth
and mycotoxin accumulation. A total of 43 niger seed cake samples were collected from
Bahir Dar, Wereta, and Meshenti towns. For the controlled laboratory experiment, niger
seed cake was produced in the lab by mechanical pressing of niger seed obtained from
the Bahir Dar market. A completely randomized design was implemented to investigate
the effect of three storage bag types on the accumulation of mycotoxins over three
months. The storage bags were hermetic bags (PICS and GrainPro bags) and woven
polypropylene bags (PPB), each replicated three times. Mycotoxins were analyzed using
the lateral flow immunoassay principle on an indirect competitive immunoassay format.
Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-test, and correlation analysis were performed for data
analysis at a 5% significance level. Results were reported in two separate parts: the
survey and the controlled experiment. In the survey samples, the incidence of AFT, OTA,
FUM, and DON were 100%, 86.1%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. Levels in positive samples
ranged from 5 to 52μg/kg for AFT and 2.5 to 11μg/kg for OTA. Besides, the sampling
location and operator types had no significant effect on the occurrence of AFT and OTA.
Regarding the controlled storage experiment, niger seed cake stored in the PPB for three
months showed higher AFT, OTA, and increased mold count than baseline levels. Niger
seed cakes in the PICS and GrainPro bags did not show significant changes in the tested
parameters over the three months. The output of this investigation evidenced the
occurrence of mycotoxins in niger seed cakes of the study areas. Moreover, hermetic
bags were superior to the PPB for the niger seed cake storage. Therefore, creating
awareness and facilitating access to hermetic bags is essential to prevent mycotoxin
development and associated human and animal health risks.
Keywords: Mycotoxin, niger-seed cake, occurrence, storage bag, livestock, oil-miller,
study-location, handling practice