Occurrence of toxigenic fungi in raw sago starch for commercialisation in Sarawak, Malaysia

Fungi are widely distributed in agricultural settings, and certain species are known to cause infections that can impact public health and agricultural production. This study aims to determine the fungal concentration in the raw sago starch samples and to identify the fungal species in the samples. A total of 50 raw sago starch samples for commercialisation were collected from different districts in Sarawak, Malaysia. Enumeration of the fungal concentration was conducted using the serial dilution technique before identification of the fungal genera using morphological examinations. The fungal species were molecularly confirmed using species-specific polymerase chain reaction targeting the ITS region. The findings of this study found the range of fungal counts was 1.3 × 102 to 2.1 × 104 CFU/g (mean: 8.6 × 103 CFU/g). Morphological examinations followed by molecular confirmation revealed 19 fungal species, including Ceratocystis paradoxa (28.89%; 13/45), and followed by Paecilomyces variotii and Peniophora malaiensis (2.22%; 1/45 of each), Penicillium rolfsii and Pleurostoma richardsiae (8.89%; 4/45 of each), Perenniporia tephropora (4.44%; 2/45), Penicillium brasilianum, Penicillium sumatraense, Penicillium verruculosum, Penicillium citrinum, Paecilomyces niveus, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus caesiellus, Aspergillus terreus, Trichoderma pleuroti, Trichoderma harzianum, Candida blattae, and Phaeoacremonium sp. (2.22%; 1/45 of each). All sago starch samples in this study were contaminated with diverse fungal species including mycotoxin-producing species, and the fungal counts exceeded the permissible limits for human consumption. The outcomes from this study provided a baseline on the level of fungal contamination in sago starch for future risk and mitigation assessment planning and established detailed knowledge of the food safety status in sago starch production from Sarawak, which will form a foundation for future studies. •All raw sago starch samples were contaminated with diverse fungal species.•Both mycotoxin-producing and non-mycotoxin-producing fungal species were detected.•Interventions at pre-harvest stage is crucial to reduce fungal transmission along the food chains.