Occurrence of aflatoxin B1: link between agricultural practices and estimation of risks to human health in peanut production systems across Adamawa, Centre and North regions of Cameroon

Aflatoxin contamination in peanuts poses a significant health risk to consumers due to the carcinogenic nature of these toxins. In this study, the concentration of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in peanut kernels and the associated risk of hepatocarcinoma risk were evaluated across different age groups within the Cameroonian population. This assessment was based on samples from distinct peanut production systems located in the Adamawa, Centre, and North regions of Cameroon. AFB1 concentrations in raw peanut samples (n = 90) were analyzed using an ELISA method. The results revealed varying frequencies of AFB1 contamination: 57.17% in low-resource peanut production systems (System 1), 47.36% in subsistence production systems integrating peanut, maize, and roots/tubers (System 2), 81.48% in semi-intensive integrated cotton-peanut production systems (System 3), and 100% in highly monetized peanut production systems (System 4). Correspondingly, the average AFB1 concentrations for these systems were 3.57, 4.14, 2.49, and 26.37 µg/kg, respectively. Notably, these AFB1 concentrations (especially those exceeding 2 µg/kg) were consistently linked to agronomic factors such as crop variety, previous field cultivation, fertilization practices, the application of phytosanitary products, and the type of storage bag employed. For all age categories, the mean exposure to AFB1 via peanut consumption was estimated to range between 1.40 and 150.02 ng/kg bw/day, resulting in a margin of exposure (MOE) of 1.40 to 5539.72. The average estimated cancer risk due to AFB1 exposure ranged from 0.06 to 6.89 cases/100,000 people/year. This study offers novel insights into the probabilistic risk assessment and potential health impact of AFB1 in peanuts from existing peanut production systems in Adamawa, Centre, and North, Cameroon. These findings can serve as a foundation for developing strategic mitigation measures tailored to different production systems, thereby promoting peanut production in alignment with global standards and contributing to the achievement of crucial food security objectives.