AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN SOME NIGERIAN FEEDS AND FEEDINGSTUFFS - HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME NUTRITIONAL, PHYSIOPATHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC-IMPLICATIONS

A number of feeds and feedingstuffs, along with the post-harvest factors predisposing them to aflatoxin contamination, are outlined. Based on field reports, the nutritional and physiopathological implications of aflatoxin as an environmental pollutant and feed contaminant in Nigeria are discussed. Viewed from the context of the positive response of the farming population to the call for local sourcing of a substantial proportion of industrial raw materials (backward integration) by various governments, the economic implications of post-harvest deterioration of large tonnages of food crops (now being experienced nation-wide) are highlighted. Various ameliorative measures (both short and long term) are suggested to minimize both post-harvest deterioration and the imminence of the scourge of aflatoxicosis, especially in the poultry industry. © 1990.