Ranajit Bandyopadhyay

1. IntroductionIn Uganda, maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops in terms of production, consumption, and income generation. Because of its relevance, maize was one of the food security crops–and the only cereal–selected by the Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries of Uganda to implement a 5-year, multi-million USD agricultural intervention as part of the Developmen ...

1. IntroductionFood safety is a pervasive concern of both the general public and of government authorities worldwide. Yet the insidious nature of mycotoxin contamination of key foods is frequently overlooked. Fungi are often found on crops growing in the field or in storage. Food-borne fungi are capable of producing hundreds of secondary metabolites but only a relative few are regulated, due to th ...

1. IntroductionIn most sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), chili peppers are an important ingredient to prepare a large array of traditional dishes [1]. Consumption of high quantities of chili peppers is associated with health benefits, including disease prevention [2,3]. However, chili peppers in SSA are frequently contaminated with aflatoxins by Aspergillus section Flavi fungi [4,5]. Aflatoxins are highly ...

1. IntroductionAflatoxins are highly toxic and carcinogenic compounds produced by Aspergillus flavus and closely related fungi in several crops [1]. Maize (Zea mays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) are amongst the most susceptible crops. Crop contamination with these potent compounds negatively affects both human and animal health, the income of farmers, and trade opportunities [2–4]. ...

IntroductionMaize is an important staple food in most countries in Africa including West Africa (Shiferaw et al., 2011) where infants being weaned off mothers’ milk rely mostly on maize flour for nutrition. Maize is often invaded by Aspergillus fungal species before and after harvest and in storage. Aspergillus species are commonly found in the soil, which acts as source of primary inoculum ...