Determination of aflatoxin and ochratoxin a in dried figs

The most important chemical hazards in dried figs are aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA). In this study, the presence and amounts of AFs and OTA in dried figs consumed in Turkey were determined by fluorescence detector coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-FLD). In addition, the exposure of adults to AFs and OTA through the consumption of dried figs and risk assessment were determined. Between April-June 2019, a total of 100 dried fig samples (300 g) collected randomly from different retail stores in Corum, Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir were analysed. The validated method fulfilled the requirements of validation parameters of the European Union (EU). The limit of quantifications (LOQs) of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) and OTA were 0.277, 0.247, 0.307, 0.253 and 0.437 µg kg-1, respectively. While AFs were not detected in 86 out of 100 dried fig samples, AFs were positive in 14 samples at levels ranging from 0.258 to 12.6 µg kg-1. Among the AFs, AFB1 was the most frequently occurring toxin, with levels ranging from 0.258 to 11.92 µg kg-1. Only two dried fig samples exceeded the both EU and Turkish Food Codex (TGK) maximum limits (MLs) for AFB1 and total AFs. Moreover, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 were detected in seven (0.095-0.675 µg kg-1), two (0.153 and 2.427 µg kg-1) and only one dried fig sample (0.121 µg kg-1), respectively. OTA was recorded in eight out of 100 dried fig samples at concentrations varying from 0.151 to 1.723 µg kg-1. In the Turkish adults, the mean exposure to AFB1, total AFs and OTA ranged from 0.0039 to 0.0046, 0.0044 to 0.0058 and from 0.0005 to 0.0017 ng kg-1 b.w. day-1 at lower bound and upper bound, respectively. While the margin of exposure (MOE) value for AFB1 was not a health concern according to per capita consumption, the AFB1 levels recorded in dried fig samples raised a potential health concern in the consumption scenario one dried fig per day (20 g day-1) for Turkish adults. However, the MOE values for OTA were considerably higher than 10 000 in both scenarios. Thus, the exposure to OTA from the consumption of dried figs does not a health concern for adults.