Storage Fungal Load, Community Diversity, and Mycotoxigenic Risk in Stored Groundnut Seeds Across Niger State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1018-5863Keywords:
Groundnut, diversity, mycoflora, aflatoxin, toxigenic fungi, food safety, Niger StateAbstract
Postharvest losses in stored groundnut remain high across Niger State, Nigeria, driven substantially by fungal colonization under the region's humid, high-temperature storage conditions. This study assessed fungal load, mycoflora community structure, and qualitative toxigenic potential across twelve Local Government Areas (LGAs) spanning three agro-ecological zones, using 98 seed samples analyzed by standard microbiological isolation and toxigenic screening on Coconut Agar Medium under UV fluorescence (365 nm). Fungal load ranged from 11 × 10³ CFU/g (Chanchaga) to 28 × 10³ CFU/g (Mokwa), with the highest-burden LGAs concentrated in the wetter south-western storage belt. A total of 346 isolates spanning six genera were recovered, dominated by Aspergillus spp. (67.4%; principally A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus), and 58.0% (n = 201) of isolates showed potential for mycotoxin production. Multivariate community analysis (PCA, hierarchical clustering) and diversity indices (mean H' = 2.02, J' = 0.92) resolved three geographically coherent storage-risk zones, extending prior isolate-frequency surveys of Nigerian stored groundnut mycoflora by linking community structure directly to spatial storage risk. These findings support targeted, zone-specific postharvest management to reduce losses and consumer exposure to mycotoxins.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Musa Muhammad Liman, Adebola Matthew Omoniyi, Hadiza Lami Muhammad, Bello Ismail Muhaamad, Mariam Bukola Aremu, Maryam Alfa Kabaraini, Aisha Muhammad Ishaq
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