MycoSafe-South, the “European–African partnership for safe and efficient use of mycotoxin-mitigation strategies in sub-Saharan Africa”, intends to harness the expertise and infrastructure available in Europe by strengthening the capacity of the Southern partners to tackle the mycotoxin problem and the associated food safety issues. This project will identify safe and efficient mitigation strategies to reduce aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs) exposure in Africa, with special focus on children.

This project aims:
(1) to provide safe-use options for AFs and/or FBs-contaminated food for children and adults through means of safe and efficient post-harvest intervention strategies, including nixtamalization, dehulling, fermentation and the usage of mycotoxin binders and/or modifiers investigated via in vitro and in vivo studies,
(2) to develop intervention strategies to reduce human (paediatric) exposure to AFs through animal products (i.e. milk, meat and eggs), and
(3) to improve sustainability of the acquired results by organizing education programmes and awareness campaigns that will facilitate best practices, transfer the acquired knowledge and help stakeholders to understand mycotoxin-associated health risks.

The project is coordinated by Prof. Siska Croubels and her MYTOX-SOUTH team partners Dr. Gunther Antonissen, Prof. Sarah De Saeger & Dr. Marthe De Boevre (Ghent University, Belgium).

The other consortium members are:
Dr. J.K Kathumbi: University of Nairobi (Kenya)
Prof. P. Njobeh: University of Johannesburg (South-Africa)
Prof. M.-L. Scippo & Prof. V. Delcenserie: University of Liège (Belgium)
Dr. S. Uhlig: Norwegian Veterinary Institute (Norway)
Dr. J. Lindahl, Dr. D. Grace & Prof. E. Kang’ethe: ILRI (Kenya)
Ms E. Ogutu: PACA (Ethiopia)
Dr. G & D. Schatzmayr: BIOMIN Research Centre (Austria)
Dr. F. McLean: Harbro Limited (Scotland)

This project is a nearly US$ 1 million project to tackle the mycotoxin issue in Africa which is co-funded by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO), the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR), the Research Council of Norway (RCN), the Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), the South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), BIOMIN Holding GmbH & Harbro Ltd.

The project will be executed by four joint European-African PhDs: Ms. Julianah Odukoya, Ms. Kaat Neckermann, Mr. David C. Kemboi and Ms. Phillis E. Ochieng.
The project was launched with all project partners in Capetown in October 2018.

MycoSafe-South is partnered by: