Morphological Screening as a Low-cost Aflatoxin Surveillance Tool for Maize in Ghana

Abstract Objectives Maize is a major staple in sub-Saharan Africa, and is highly susceptible to contamination by mycotoxin-producing filamentous fungi. Yet, no studies in the sub-region have linked morphological fungal screening to quantified mycotoxin load. This study characterised the prevalence and geographic distribution of filamentous fungal contamination in maize marketed across Ghana, and evaluated whether presumptive aflatoxigenic fungal growth predicts total aflatoxin concentration. Sixty-four maize samples were morphologically screened for fungal growth, with aflatoxins quantified by HPLC-FLD in a targeted subset. Results Filamentous fungal growth occurred in all samples, while presumptive aflatoxigenic growth was detected in 85.9%. Total and green fungal growth did not differ significantly between white and yellow maize ( P  > 0.05). Total aflatoxin ranged from ND to 253.7 ng/g, with four of 10 samples exceeding the Ghana Standards Authority limit (10 µg/kg). Green fungal growth correlated significantly with total aflatoxin concentration (Pearson r = 0.654, P  = 0.040; Spearman ρ = 0.776, P  = 0.012). Morphological screening on DRBC agar shows promise as a low-cost first-tier tool for aflatoxin risk stratification applicable within existing laboratory infrastructure.