LA CONTAMINATION AUX AFLATOXINES DES ALIMENTS DESTINES AUX ENFANTS DE 0 A 59 MOIS DANS LES ZONES DE SANTES DE GOMA, KAYNA ET KYONDO AU NORD-KIVU

Abstract

• This work focused on the study of the quality of nutrients used to feed children from 0 to 59 months in a few households in the health zones of Goma, Kayna and Kyondo in North Kivu.

The objective pursued was to evaluate the level of knowledge on the contamination of said nutrients by aflatoxins, to measure the latter in the same foods and to evaluate the effect of honey on the development of Aspergillus sp found in these nutrients with a view to long-term preservation.To achieve this, a survey was carried out among 353 people, including 140 caregivers and 213 children aged 0 to 59 months. Thereafter, the rate of aflatoxins was assayed in the various samples by the chromatographic method on a thin layer using the Raptor. The samples that showed high levels of aflatoxins were treated with different concentrations of honey to assess its inhibiting effect on the development of aflatoxinogenic molds contained in the foods mentioned above. The results obtained show that 56.4% of respondents had never heard of aflatoxins and did not know them, compared to 43.6% who had already heard of them; 47.5% of respondents agreed that stunting in children may be due to the consumption of foods contaminated with aflatoxins and 23% agreed that aflatoxins can cause food poisoning. The majority of those who were aware of the existence and effect of these mycotoxins had attended college and were new to the career. In this study, the level of study and the seniority were factors influencing the knowledge of the nursing staff on the contamination by aflatoxins. In the three health zones, 114 out of 213 children sampled, or 54%, suffered from global acute malnutrition, of which 82, or 39%, suffered from severe acute malnutrition and 32, or 15%, suffered from moderate acute malnutrition. All of the 82 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, or 39%, consumed foods with a dangerous aflatoxin level of between 11 and 258 ppb.

For the evaluation of the inhibitory effect of honey on Aspergillus, the results obtained showed that high concentrations of honey stop the development of Aspergillus sp. in these foods, which made it possible to keep the level of aflatoxins stable for more than two weeks of storage.