Scaling Aflasafe: From lab-based innovation to large-scale aflatoxin mitigation across Africa

Aflatoxin contamination remains a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), threatening food and feed safety, public health, and trade. Farmers, industries, and policymakers need effective, scalable solutions to protect staple crops such as maize, groundnut, and sorghum from aflatoxin.

One of the most promising innovations is biocontrol using native, atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strains—applied in the field to outcompete toxin-producing fungi. While small-scale trials in Nigeria over 15 years ago demonstrated its potential, scaling up Aflasafe required overcoming significant manufacturing and commercialization barriers.

A recently published article documents how Aflasafe biocontrol products evolved from lab-based research to industrial-scale production, enabling widespread use across SSA. By refining manufacturing processes, developing fit-to-scale production models, and strengthening commercialization strategies, IITA has facilitated the production of thousands of tons of biocontrol products—leading to over a million tons of aflatoxin-safe crops.

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