The warm weather and high relative humidity in Malaysia are ideal for the survival and
proliferation of mycotoxigenic fungi leading to a high rate of stored product
contamination. This study was conducted to enumerate and characterise the
mycotoxigenic fungi associated with commonly consumed food grains in Kelantan,
Malaysia. The fungal bioburden and fungal identification from forty-four composite food
samples comprising 11 samples each of maize, wheat, rice, and peanuts from open
markets in Kelantan, Malaysia, were determined using standard mycological techniques.
A total of 115 mould fungal isolates belonging to 12 species were isolated, of which
Aspergillus flavus (17.39%), A. versicolor (13.04%), A. felis (12.17%), Neoscytalidium
dimidiatum (11.3%), Penicillium cheresanum (11.3%) and P. chrysogenum (8.7%), were
predominant. Peanuts were the most contaminated (9.7×105 ± 1.5×105 CFU/g) followed by
maize (7.5×105 ± 1.8×106 CFU/g), wheat (1.9×105 ± 2.6×105 CFU/g), and rice (9.9×104 ±
1.5×105 CFU/g). The levels of the mycotoxigenic fungi in peanut, maize, and wheat were
above the permissible limit of 102 CFU/g set by the Malaysian Ministry of Health and 102
to 105 CFU/g set by the International Commission for Microbiological Specification for
Foods, signifying that they are unsafe for use as food or feed ingredients. Hence, there is a
need for more stringent control measures.