Fungal and mycotoxin contamination of sorghum during storage in Northern Nigeria

The moisture content of stored sorghum changed with the rainfall distribution. Field and storage fungi, including Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Curvularia, Phoma, Alternaria, Chaetomium and Helminthsoporium spp., were identified from surface-sterilized sorghum grains. Although no aflatoxins were detected in the samples, zearalenone, ochratoxins and sterigmatocystin were detected. The level of contamination was below 50 mu g/kg except for zearalenone in 2 samples (100 and 143 mu g/kg), ochratoxin A in 1 sample (52 mu g/kg) and ochratoxin B in 2 samples (52 and 60 mu g/kg).