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Exploring aflatoxin contamination and household-level exposure risk in diverse Indian food systems

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/11681/
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240565
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240565
 
Title Exploring aflatoxin contamination and household-level exposure risk in diverse Indian food systems
 
Creator Audenaert, K
Wenndt, A
Sudini, H K
Pingali, P
Nelson, R
 
Subject Aflatoxins
 
Description The present study sought to identify household risk factors associated with aflatoxin contamination
within and across diverse Indian food systems and to evaluate their utility in risk
modeling. Samples (n = 595) of cereals, pulses, and oil seeds were collected from 160
households across four diverse districts of India and analyzed for aflatoxin B1 using
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Demographic information, food and cropping
systems, food management behaviors, and storage environments were profiled for
each household. An aflatoxin detection risk index was developed based on household-level
features and validated using a repeated 5-fold cross-validation approach. Across districts,
between 30–80% of households yielded at least one contaminated sample. Aflatoxin B1
detection rates and mean contamination levels were highest in groundnut and maize,
respectively, and lower in other crops. Landholding had a positive univariate effect on
household aflatoxin detection, while storage conditions, product source, and the number of
protective behaviors used by households did not show significant effects. Presence of
groundnut, post-harvest grain washing, use of sack-based storage systems, and cultivation
status (farming or non-farming) were identified as the most contributive variables in stepwise
logistic regression and were used to generate a household-level risk index. The index had
moderate classification accuracy (68% sensitivity and 62% specificity) and significantly correlated
with village-wise aflatoxin detection rates. Spatial analysis revealed utility of the
index for identifying at-risk localities and households. This study identified several key features
associated with aflatoxin contamination in Indian food systems and demonstrated that
household characteristics are substantially predictive of aflatoxin risk.
 
Publisher Public Library of Science
 
Date 2020-10
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/11681/1/pone.0240565.pdf
Audenaert, K and Wenndt, A and Sudini, H K and Pingali, P and Nelson, R (2020) Exploring aflatoxin contamination and household-level exposure risk in diverse Indian food systems. PLOS ONE (TSI), 15 (10). pp. 1-29. ISSN 1932-6203