Aflatoxincontent of Three Condiments and Their Effects on Some Biochemical and Haematological Parameters in WistarRats

Abstract

:Condiments as spices are widely used in Nigeria, they provide taste and flavour to meals. In the present study, these condiments; dadawa, ogiri, and okpehewere estimated for aflatoxin contents, their phytochemicals and effects on some biochemical and haematological parameters were also carried out. Twenty four Wistar rats of body weight between 130 – 180 g were randomly distributed into four groups of six rats each; Group 1 were control rat which received 0.5 ml of distilled water per day while Groups 2, 3 and 4 received 400 mg/kg bw. aqueousextracts of dadawa, ogiri and okpehe respectively for 21 days. Phytochemical screening reveals the presence of alkaloids, flavonoid, terpenes and steroids while tannins and balsams were not detected in all condiments. Okpehe has the highestaflatoxin content per kg followed by dadawa and ogiri respectively. Aqueous extracts significantly (P˂0.05) decrease White bloodcells (WBC) in all treated rats while no significant effects (P˃0.05) were observed in monocytes of dadawa and ogiritreatedwhen compared to the control. Total protein was significantly decrease (P˂0.05) in all treated groups and in albumin content of Ogiri and Okpehe. Also, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) showed significant increase (P˂0.05) in all treated groups when compared to the control.Removing aflatoxin from contaminated food and foodstuffs remains a major problem, thereforeaGood Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is highly encouraged in production of these condiments aswellas a close monitoring of their storage and shelf life.