Researchers to Develop Aflatoxin-Detecting AI-Powered Smartphone System

Researchers from the University of Malawi and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources have partnered to develop a smartphone-based artificial intelligence system capable of detecting aflatoxins in groundnuts in the field, in a move aimed at improving food safety and protecting consumers.

The collaborative project, titled “Smartphone-Based BGYF Fluorescence and AI System for Field Detection of Aflatoxins in Groundnuts,” is being implemented under the International Atomic Energy Agency Coordinated Research Project D52045. The initiative brings together Dr. Dackson Masiyano from UNIMA’s Department of Physics and Electronics and Professor Limbikani Matumba of LUANAR, alongside collaborating researchers Professor Sarah De Saeger (Ghent University) and Dr. Theresa Nakoma-Ngoma from LUANAR. 

Professor Matumba is serving as Lead Principal Investigator and Chief Scientific Investigator, overseeing scientific leadership in aflatoxin science, laboratory validation, food safety systems, and field deployment within the groundnut value chain. Dr. Masiyano is the Co-Principal Investigator responsible for optical system design, ultraviolet fluorescence imaging, artificial intelligence integration, machine learning development, and overall system architecture.

The project seeks to develop a low-cost and field-deployable screening tool that combines Bright Greenish-Yellow Fluorescence (BGYF) imaging, smartphone technology, and machine learning to rapidly detect aflatoxin contamination in groundnuts outside conventional laboratories.

Speaking on the significance of the collaboration, Dr. Masiyano said the partnership combines expertise in food safety science, optical sensing, and artificial intelligence to address challenges affecting the groundnut value chain. “This collaboration is important because it brings together food safety science, optical sensing, and artificial intelligence to address a real problem in the groundnut value chain. Our aim is not to replace established laboratory methods, but to develop a practical field-screening tool that can help identify aflatoxin risk earlier, closer to farmers, traders, processors, and rural buying centres,” he said.

He added that the project combines LUANAR’s expertise in mycotoxin research and laboratory validation with UNIMA’s strengths in instrumentation, UV fluorescence imaging, and AI-based analysis to support the development of affordable food safety technologies for Malawi and beyond.

Professor Sarah De Saeger, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health at Ghent University, contributes international expertise in mycotoxicology, food safety systems, and public health, while Dr. Nakoma-Ngoma from LUANAR provides expertise in food science, grain storage, postharvest systems, and mycotoxin risk reduction in cereal and legume value chains.

The researchers said the system’s performance will be validated against established laboratory methods, including VICAM fluorometric analysis, to ensure reliability and scientific accuracy.

Beyond the current IAEA-supported initiative, the collaboration is expected to support joint research grants, student supervision, development of UV–VIS–NIR sensing technologies in Malawi, and broader applications of AI-enabled food safety systems. The project is also expected to strengthen decentralised food safety testing by developing practical diagnostic tools accessible to farmers, traders, processors, and rural buying centres while enhancing Malawi’s research capacity in innovative agricultural technologies.