Occurrence of mycotoxins in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and its products

Contamination of foods with mycotoxins represents an important limit to the income of farmers and a major public health concern especially in tropical countries. Cassava represents an important part of the diet of many people in this part of the word and the most important smallholder crop in Africa. Fungal contamination of cassava products can occur at pre-harvest level or after, during processing, according to the conditions (moisture, temperature, competition with other microorganisms). Such fungal contamination can also lead to mycotoxin accumulation. The most common fungi found in cassava products belong to genera Rhyzopus, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Phoma and Penicillium. Their corresponding mycotoxins could also be found in cassava. However, until now, the correlation between the presence of Aspergillus flavus and its toxins aflatoxins remains unclear. In this review, we broadly report data about mycotoxins contamination of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and its derivatives, with a special emphasis on aflatoxins.