Safe feed is vital for animal health, and is a precondition for food safety and human health. Dietary exposure of poultry chickens to aflatoxin-contaminated feeds may result in negative health implications, and may be carried-over into their by-products such as eggs. The aim of this study was to determine the contamination levels of aflatoxins in feed and egg samples from layer chickens, as well as egg samples from free-range chickens from Bafoussam in Cameroon. Levels of crude proteins and total aflatoxin were determined in layer chickens’ feeds (n=9) from nine poultry farms. Additionally, aflatoxin B1 was quantified in eggs (16 pooled egg samples) from the layer chickens that were fed the studied feeds as well as eggs (10 pooled egg samples) from free-range hens in Bafoussam. All studied feed samples revealed levels of crude proteins (mean: 20.4, range: 17.2-25.6 g/100 g of feed) higher than standard (16 g/100 g feed), and levels of total aflatoxin (mean: 107.6, range: 27-178 μg kg-1) higher than the maximum tolerable limit (20 μg/kg) in feed. Levels of aflatoxin B1 in eggs from layer chickens (mean: 0.0005, range: nd-0.0013 μg/kg; 62.5%) and in eggs from free-range hens (mean: 0.0016, range: 0.0009-0.0024 μg/kg; 100%) did not exceed the maximum tolerable limit (2 μg/kg) of aflatoxin B1 in foods destined for human consumption. The direct proposional relationship between crude proteins and total aflatoxins levels speculate that proteins source for feed production may be a critical control point for aflatoxins contamination in feeds. Although levels of aflatoxins B1 in eggs were generally low, the higher occurrence frequencies may be a concern when considering eggs as a part of diet for all age categories in Cameroon.
Keywords: Aflatoxins, Eggs, Feed, Layer Chicken, Free-Range Hens.
Citation: Kognoudjui, A. M. et al., (2025). Aflatoxin Contamination in Feeds and Eggs From Bafoussam, Cameroon. J N food sci tech, 6(4):1-7. DOI : https://doi.org/10.47485/2834-7854.1051