Occurrence of aflatoxins in nuts and peanut butter imported to UAE.

Nuts are an important food group that contributes to maintaining health; however, they can be a source of exposure to aflatoxins. This study was conducted from 2017 to 2021 to assess the incidence of aflatoxins in nuts and nut products imported to the UAE from 57 countries. Associations between container type and processing technique and aflatoxin levels were also analyzed. A total of 5401 samples of pistachios, peanuts, peanut butter, and mixed nuts were examined using HPLC-FLD analysis in conjunction with immunoaffinity cleanup. In nuts, non-conformity was detected in samples imported from 32 different countries. Mean aflatoxin values for the non-compliant samples ranged from 81.0 to 92.7 µg/kg in pistachios, peanuts, and mixed nuts. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between mean aflatoxin levels in samples of peanut butter (29.3 µg/kg) compared to the other types of nuts. Nuts packed in containers made of fabric material had the highest mean aflatoxin levels of 108.1 µg/kg, while 29.7 µg/kg was the lowest mean level and was detected in nuts packed in glass. Ground samples had the highest aflatoxin levels (158.9 µg/kg) among processed products. This report will be valuable as a reference document in developing approaches to control nut importation and for establishing procedures that prevent food safety risks due to aflatoxin exposure. A need was underlined for the regulating authority to audit companies importing nuts, ensure safe practices are in place, and establish standards to minimize contamination and prevent the need for product rejection at the border.

Assessment of Dietary Exposure to Ochratoxin A in Lebanese Students and Its Urinary Biomarker Analysis.

The present study investigated the dietary and urinary OTA occurrence among 44 Lebanese children. Relying on HPLC-FLD analysis, OTA was found in all the urine samples and in 46.5% and 25% of the 24 h duplicate diet and dinner samples, respectively. The means of OTA levels in positive samples were 0.32 ± 0.1 ng/g in 24 h diet, 0.32 ± 0.18 ng/g in dinner and 0.022 ± 0.012 ng/mL in urines. These values corresponded to margin of exposure (MOE) means of 7907 ± 5922 (neoplastic) and 2579 ± 1932 (non-neoplastic) calculated from positive 24 h diet, while 961 ± 599 (neoplastic) and 313 ± 195 (non-neoplastic) calculated from the urine. Since the MOE levels for the neoplastic effect were below the limit (10,000), a major health threat was detected and must be addressed as a health institutions' priority. Besides, the wide difference between PDIs and MOEs calculated from food and urine suggests conducting further OTA's toxicokinetics studies before using urine to measure OTA exposure.

Risk of exposure to aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, and fumonisin B1 from spices used routinely in Lebanese cooking.

Spices are susceptible to mycotoxin contamination which can cause gastrointestinal and adverse central nervous symptoms in humans, which highlights the importance of assessing the risk of their consumption on a daily basis. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of mycotoxin intake from spices in routinely prepared Lebanese dishes. 150 households were interviewed about their usage of 27 type of spices and 6 routinely prepared Lebanese dishes. Results showed a high variability in consumption levels. Among the investigated dishes, the minimum number of spices that were consumed in a dish was 13 while the maximum was 18. The mean intake of one spice ranged from 0.26 g/portion observed for cloves to 5.37 g/portion for cinnamon, with its intake per portion more than 1 g in 2/3 of dishes. 20% of portion sizes of coriander, cinnamon and fennel, had an intake exceeding 5 g/portion. Ochratoxin A (OTA) Probable Daily Intake (PDI) had a mean of 0.11 ng/kg-bw/day. Mean PDI of fumonisin B1 (FB1) was 79.3 ng/kg-bw/day. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) PDI had a mean of 1.55 ng/kg-bw/day. The Margin of Exposure (MOE) of AFB1 ranged from 108.10 to 4444.44. The present study showed that the risk of AFB1 from spices is a matter of concern while the risk of OTA and FB1 is limited with the exception of FB1 from garlic and onion.