Occurrence and exposure assessment of aflatoxins in Zhejiang province, China

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of aflatoxins due to multiple food consumption among the Zhejiang population. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method was used to determine aflatoxins in 792 samples. Aflatoxins were detected in 27.1% of the samples at levels between 0.07 and 262.63 μg kg^-1, and aflatoxins B₁ was the most frequently detected among different types of samples. 0.8% of peanut oil, 3.39% of nut products as well as 1.1% of condiments contaminated with aflatoxins B₁ exceeded China national tolerance limits. Peanut oil had the highest incidence of aflatoxin, with a range from 0.17 to 22.50 μg kg^-1. Using bags conferred limited advantages in reducing aflatoxin contents. Moreover, peanut and rice were the main contributors to dietary exposure to aflatoxins among Zhejiang residents. Finally, the margin of exposure values obtained by rice consumption were far from the safe margin of 10,000, indicating a potential risk to public health. The results pointed out the need for further prioritization of aflatoxins B₁ risk-management actions in Zhejiang.