Overview

The research project focused on using mycotoxin contamination as a quality indicator of preharvest and stored groundnuts to develop strategies for aflatoxin minimization in the following Southern African Developing Countries (SADC) – Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. However, the emphasis in Africa will be in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Similar and parallel studies will be done in Indonesia coordinated by Dr. Muhammad Machmud in the first year and emphasized in year two. The University of Georgia and The Programme of Mycotoxins and Experimental Carcinogens (PROMEC) of the South African Medical Research Council will be the training institutions. This research will help improve food safety, nutritional value, seed viability, and quality as well as reducing health risks, especially for marginally nourished children.