Aflatoxin Detection and Identification of Moulds in Jamaican Herbal Teas

10.55434/CBI.2023.10105

Abstract

Tea is a highly consumed beverage in Jamaica. Jamaicans consumes a wide variety of herbal infusions; referred to locally simply as tea. Twenty-two herbal tea samples were analyzed for Aflatoxin using Immuno affinity Column Chromatography technique, and Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods – Mould Counting technique for mould quantification. Mould isolates were identified using Mycological techniques. All herbal tea samples had no detectable aflatoxin (<2ppb). Mould counts ranged between <1- 2650 CFU/g. Seven types of moulds were identified including an isolate of Aspergillus flavus in 13.8% of the samples, and Aspergillus montevidensis in 18.2%. Other mould species identified were: Acremonium spp., Paecilomyces variotii, Penicillium spp., Rhizopus microspores and Trichoderma spp. respectively to be in (22.7%, 18.2%, 18.2%, 22.7% and 13.6%) of the total sample. The microbiological and mycotoxin analysis results shows that the tea samples all have satisfactory results, compliant with several recommended international specifications for herbal teas.