Molecular Detection of Aflatoxins-producing Fungi in Maize Sold in Gusau Major Markets. Implications for Food Safety and Public Health.

Abstract

A staple crop that is vital to maintaining food security, maize is consumed by millions of people worldwide. For this study, three samples of maize were gathered from important markets in the Gusau city of Tudun Wada, Sabon Gari, and Damba. The study's objective was to detect fungal contamination in maize samples acquired from specific vendors using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Following the extraction of genomic DNA from cultured fungal isolates, PCR amplification and molecular analysis were carried out. Following amplification using universal primers and agarose gel electrophoresis, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene was detected in all samples, yielding amplicons of roughly 700 base pairs (bp). The findings show that the examined maize samples had fungal contamination. These results show that PCR is a very specific and sensitive technique for identifying fungal pathogens in food samples.