Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Food aflatoxin exposure assessment in Sichuan Province, China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Mycotoxin Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aflatoxins (AFs) are frequent contaminants in crops worldwide and can cause adverse health effects in exposed humans. Since foods AFs (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) contamination in Sichuan Province are unexplored, we conducted a study to assess AFs exposure in the population. In total, 318 samples, including grains, red chilli, red chilli powder, and vegetable protein beverages, were collected from 13 cities of Sichuan Province, China, in 2022. AFs were detected in all types of foods except for wheat flour, the highest incidence was found in red chilli powder (75.0%). The concentrations of AFtot (the total aflatoxins) ranged between ND (not detected) and 54.20 μg kg−1. It was observed that the AFs profile was dominated by AFB1. The AFB1 content ranged from ND to 52.60 μg kg−1 across food types. According to EU maximum limits (ML) of AFs, 2.8% of samples exceeded the AFtot limits. For AFB1, 0.4% and 4.3% of samples exceeded the China and EU limits, respectively. In this study, packaging types and sampling sites were selected as parameters influence food aflatoxin contamination. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between different samples. According to exposure assessment and risk characterization, AFtot daily exposure was shown to be 0.263 and 283.936 ng kg−1 bw for the lower and upper exposure. The MOE value derived from consumption grains and red chilli pepper products were generally bellow 10 000, and liver cancer cases based on these two foods consumption could range from < 0.001 to 0.16 cases per year/10 000 persons.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

References

  • Additives JFWE (1999) Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. Forty-ninth report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser 884:1–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Agriopoulou S, Stamatelopoulou E et al (2020) Advances in occurrence, importance, and mycotoxin control strategies: prevention and detoxification in foods. Foods 9(2):137

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Akhund S, Akram A et al (2017) Pre-harvest aflatoxins and Aspergillus flavus contamination in variable germplasms of red chillies from Kunri, Pakistan. Mycotoxin Res 33(2):147–155

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benkerroum N (2020) Aflatoxins: producing-molds, structure, health issues and incidence in Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(4):1215

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Berthiller F (2010) Climate change impacts on natural toxins in food production systems, exemplified by deoxynivalenol in wheat and diarrhetic shellfish toxins. Food Addit Contam Part A 27(5):575–575

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen T, Liu J et al (2022) Burden of disease associated with dietary exposure to aflatoxins in China in 2020. Nutrients 14(5):1027

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Daou R, Joubrane K et al (2021) Aflatoxin B(1) and ochratoxin A in imported and Lebanese wheat and -products. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 14(3):227–235

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ding X, Wu L et al (2015) Risk assessment on dietary exposure to aflatoxin b1 in post-harvest peanuts in the Yangtze River ecological region. Toxins 7(10):4157–4174

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • EC- European Commission (2006) EC setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006

  • European Food Safety Authority (2005) Opinion of the Scientific Committee on a request from EFSA related to a harmonised approach for risk assessment of substances which are both genotoxic and carcinogenic. EFSA J 3(10):282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang L, Zhao B et al (2022) Occurrence and exposure assessment of aflatoxins in Zhejiang province, China. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 92:103847

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • FAO/WHO (2018). General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed. CXS 193–1995. [EB/OL]. [2023.04.12]. https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/list-standards/zh/

  • Jiang D, Li F et al (2019) Occurrence and dietary exposure assessment of multiple mycotoxins in corn-based food products from Shandong, China. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveillance Commun 12(1):10–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kabak B (2016) Aflatoxins in hazelnuts and dried figs: occurrence and exposure assessment. Food Chem 211:8–16

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karaaslan M, Arslanğray Y (2015) Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 contamination in ground red peppers commercialized in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 187(4)

  • Kong W, Wei R et al (2014) Occurrence of toxigenic fungi and determination of mycotoxins by HPLC-FLD in functional foods and spices in China markets. Food Chem 146:320–326

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lane B, Woloshuk C (2017) Impact of storage environment on the efficacy of hermetic storage bags. J Stored Prod Res 72:83–89

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Leong YH, Rosma A et al (2011) Exposure assessment and risk characterization of aflatoxin B1 in Malaysia. Mycotoxin Res 27(3):207–214

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lien K, Wang X et al (2019) Assessing aflatoxin exposure risk from peanuts and peanut products imported to Taiwan. Toxins 11(2):80

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ling Y et al (2018) Trend on dietary structure among residents in Sichuan Province from 2002 to 2012. J Hyg Res 47(05):716–720

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Yao Y et al (2020) Ultrasound-assisted desolventizing of fragrant oil from red pepper seed by subcritical propane extraction. Ultrason Sonochem 63:104943

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Wu F (2010) Global burden of aflatoxin-induced hepatocellular carcinoma: a risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect 118(6):818–824

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Magan N, Aldred D et al (2010) Environmental factors and interactions with mycobiota of grain and grapes: effects on growth, deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin production by Fusarium culmorum and Aspergillus carbonarius. Toxins 2(3):353–366

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mutambuki K, Likhayo P (2021) Efficacy of different hermetic bag storage technologies against insect pests and aflatoxin incidence in stored maize grain. Bull Entomol Res 111(4):499–510

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National health and family planning commission of the People’s Republic of China (2017) National standards for food safety, Food mycotoxins limit GB2761–2017

  • Nji QN, Babalola OO et al (2022) Aflatoxins in maize: can their occurrence be effectively managed in Africa in the face of climate change and food insecurity? Toxins 14(8):574

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nugraha A, Khotimah K et al (2018) Risk assessment of aflatoxin B1 exposure from maize and peanut consumption in Indonesia using the margin of exposure and liver cancer risk estimation approaches. Food Chem Toxicol 113:134–144

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ok HE, Chung SH et al (2015) Simple high-performance liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous analysis of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone in dried and ground red pepper. J Food Prot 78(6):1226–1231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ozkan A, Bindak R et al (2015) Aflatoxin B(1) and aflatoxins in ground red chilli pepper after drying. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 8(3):227–233

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oztekin S, Karbancioglu-Guler F (2022) Simultaneous detection of ochratoxin A and aflatoxins in industrial and traditional red and isot pepper flakes along with dietary exposure risk assessment. ACS Omega 7(36):31756–31766

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey MK, Kumar R et al (2019) Mitigating aflatoxin contamination in groundnut through a combination of genetic resistance and post-harvest management practices. Toxins 11(6):315

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schrenk D, Bignami M et al (2020) Risk assessment of aflatoxins in food. EFSA J 18(3)

  • Shanyawen L et al (2021) The consumption survey of condiments for restaurant customers in 7 provinces and cities of China. Chin J Food Hyg 33(02):215–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimakawa Y, Lemoine M et al (2016) Natural history of chronic HBV infection in West Africa: a longitudinal population-based study from The Gambia. Gut 65(12):2007–2016

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siró I, Kápolna E et al (2008) Functional food. Product development, marketing and consumer acceptance—a review. Appetite 51(3):456–467

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sobral M, Cunha SC et al (2019) Influence of oven and microwave cooking with the addition of herbs on the exposure to multi-mycotoxins from chicken breast muscle. Food Chem 276:274–284

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sun XD, Su P et al (2017) Mycotoxin contamination of rice in China. J Food Sci 82(3):573–584

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van de Perre E, Jacxsens L et al (2015) Impact of maximum levels in European legislation on exposure of mycotoxins in dried products: case of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A in nuts and dried fruits. Food Chem Toxicol 75:112–117

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Villers P (2014) Aflatoxins and safe storage. Front Microbiol 5:158

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Voth-Gaeddert LE, Stoker M et al (2020) The influence of local market and household factors on aflatoxin presence in maize and symptoms of its exposure to children in Guatemala. Int J Environ Health Res 30(3):312–326

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang X, Gao J et al (2019) Co-occurrence of mycotoxins in maize and maize-derived food in China and estimation of dietary intake. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill 12(2):124–134

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yogendrarajah P, Jacxsens L et al (2014) Public health risk associated with the co-occurrence of mycotoxins in spices consumed in Sri Lanka. Food Chem Toxicol 74:240–248

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W, Liu Y et al (2020) Probabilistic risk assessment of dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 in Guangzhou, China. Sci Rep 10(1):7973

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W, Ji Z et al (2015) A meta-analysis of HBsAg-positive rate among general Chinese populations aged 1–59 years. Infect Dis (London, England) 47(12):878–888

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

All authors are grateful to all the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dispersed in different cities of Sichuan Province for their contribution of laboratory works and data collection. We also would like to thank the Food Safety Risk Monitoring mycotoxin Laboratory in Sichuan Province for their technical support and thoughtful advice.

Funding

This work was funded by Sichuan Science and Technology Department Research Projects (2021YFS0296).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sichuan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, China

    Bi Zhao, Yi Xu, Yang Song, Yu Zhang & Li Lin

Authors
  1. Bi Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yi Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yang Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yu Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Li Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yi Xu or Li Lin.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 15 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhao, B., Xu, Y., Song, Y. et al. Food aflatoxin exposure assessment in Sichuan Province, China. Mycotoxin Res 39, 261–269 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-023-00488-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-023-00488-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation