dc.description.abstract | Maize (Zea mays L.) is a vital grain that is rich in starch and is considered the staple food of
Kenya. The crop is highly productive in ecological zones that have its favorable climate;
however, the grain is highly susceptible to mycotoxin contamination which is greatly
attributable to poor postharvest handling practices. Little information exists on maize
postharvest management especially among the small-scale farmers who are the majority in
Kenya. There is lack of standard postharvest, handling, storage procedures for maize grains
which contributes to huge postharvest losses due to mycotoxin contamination. The study is
aimed at understanding the post-harvest knowledge of the small-scale farmers and the practices
employed in their day to day activities and their impact on the aflatoxin levels on the final
product. A baseline survey was conducted using semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 200
respondents were interviewed. The current findings indicate that maize farming in Trans Nzoia
consisted of male (67%) as compared to female (33%) responents. Male respondents had a
higher knowledge score on postharvest practices in comparison to their females counterparts,
however, this was not significant (p >0.05). The level of education of respondents was
significantly associated (•=37.49a, p<0.05) with their knowledge on mycotoxin contamination.
More than eight in every ten respondents (83.2%) had knowledge that inadequate drying (high
moisture content) of maize and long periods exposes maize to the risk of mycotoxin
contamination. Majority of the respondents (49.5%) relied on the casual laborer’s as source of
human labor during harvesting. Additionally, majority (88.4%) had knowledge that poor
ventilation in the storage facility causes fungal contamination, mould growth and the eventual
mycotoxin contamination. Moreover, most of the respondents (83%) associated mycotoxins
with cause of diseases in humans. Total aflatoxin levels in the initial sample extended from 0.00
to 9.12 μg/kg, with a mean of 1.96 μg/kg. Aflatoxin levels were found to be between 3.69 and
15.43 μg/kg after two months of storage, with a mean of 2.96 μg/kg. Initial total fumonisin
concentrations ranged between 0.00 and 1.36 μg/kg, with a mean of 0.44 μg/kg. After two
months of storage, fumonisin levels ranged from 0.00 to 1.51 μg /kg, with a mean of 0.60 μg/kg.
Only 9.68 percent and 38.71 percent of the samples, respectively, had levels of Aflatoxin and
fumonisin above the WHO-recommended levels of 10ppb and 500ug/kg, respectively. The
study concludes that mycotoxin contamination of maize pre and postharvest among small-scale
farmers was evident in Trans Nzoia and measures should be implimented to reduce the levels
of contamination. Trainings of farmers and dispatch of additional extension officers can help
improve the knowledge levels of farmers. | en_US |