Prevalence of Aflatoxins, Fumonisins, and Ochratoxin A in Raw Materials and Infant Flours Produced in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites that are mainly produced by molds. The presence of mycotoxins in raw materials used to produce infant flours presents a health risk to infants and young children. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the mycotoxin prevalence in raw materials and infant flours from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Thirty-nine samples of raw materials and 26 samples of infant flour collected from artisanal and semi-industrial production units were analyzed. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine the contents of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), aflatoxin B₂, aflatoxin G₁, aflatoxin G₂, fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), and ochratoxin A (OTA). The results indicated a variability in the contents of total aflatoxins (AFs), FB₁, and OTA within the samples of raw materials. In addition, 79.49% of the raw materials contaminated by total AFs had AF contents above the maximum limit (4 µg/kg). Moreover, 61.54% had AFB₁ levels above the recommended limit (2 µg/kg). The highest AF levels were found in peanuts and maize. Meanwhile, the highest OTA level was found in soybean samples. The presence of mycotoxins was highly variable in infant flours. The comparison of averages indicates a significant difference for AF, FB₁, and OTA contents (<i>P</i><0.0001). Therefore, these mycotoxins need to be controlled to considerably reduce their contamination and exposure in infants and young children and to preserve their health.