Abstract

Background: Mycotoxins are substances produced from fungal secondary metabolic processes that can be naturally found in various agricultural harvests. These metabolites can contaminate food, feed, or the commodities used for their elaboration, producing a group of diseases known as mycotoxicosis, toxic syndromes which can affect both humans and animals. Diverse matrixes, i.e. peanuts, corn, cotton, soy, cereals and its by-products, different nuts and fruit juice, milks and milk products, meat, leaver, etc can be affected by them. In Chile, the legislation has only set amount limits for Aflatoxins (5 ppb), Aflatoxin M1 (0.05 ppb) and Zearalenone (200 ppb). Aim: Determine the presence and quantify the quantity of different mycotoxins: Aflatoxins, Patulin, Zearalenone, Ochratoxin A, Nivalenol, Deoxynivalenol and T2 toxin in food for direct consumption in Chile. Material and Methods: 305 analyses were performed. 155 samples, collected from supermarkets from the metropolitan region and other regions by their respective Regional Ministerial Secretary, were selected. The samples analysed consisted of nuts fruits, various fruit juices, and maize, weath and rice products, like flour and breakfast cereals. The extraction method used for Aflatoxins was based in the use of multifunctional columns. For Patulin, liquid extraction was performed. For Nivalenol, Deoxynivalenol and T2 toxin, SAX ionic exchange columns were performed. For Zearalenone and Ochratoxin A, inmunoaffinity columns were used. The analytical methods used were the ones proposed by the Japanese expert, Dr. Hisashi Takeda, according to the “Food Safety Enforcement Program” project between the Chilean Ministry of Health, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Public Health Institute of Chile. Mycotoxical quantification was performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), except for T2 toxin, which was quantified using LC/MSMS. Results and Discussion: For Aflatoxins, in all the analyzed samples (79) which were nut fruits, maize, rice and weath products, only one was positive, nevertheless, the quantity found was far superior to the allowed by Chilean legislation (33.3 ppb imported japanese type peanuts). For Patulin, from the 40 juice fruits, 19 were positive, been one superior to the limit of 50 ppb established by the Codex Alimentarius (175 ppb Apple juice of internal production). For the T2 toxin, from 34 analyzed maize, rice and weath products samples, none of them showed detectable results. For Nivalenol and Deoxynivalenol, from 24 analyzed samples for each mycotoxin, none of them was positive for Nivalenol, and one was positive for Deoxynivalenol. The mycotoxin found in this sample was below the allowed limit for this mycotoxin according to Codex Alimentarius (94 ppb breakfast cereal). For Zearalenone, from a total of 37 samples of rice, maize and weath, 4 samples were positive, been the results between 4,8 to 86,1 ppb, below the Chilean legislation limit of 200 ppb. Finally, for 88 samples of maize, wheat and rice products analyzed for Ochratoxin A, 20 samples were positive; from them, only a rice sample was above the allowed Codex Alimentarius limit of 5 ppb. Those samples who present values above national or international regulations, was confirmed by LC/MSMS. Conclusion: From the total of analysis performed (305), 45 samples were positive, and from them, 3 were above the international limits established by Codex Alimentarius. Some of these mycotoxins who presents values superior to the allowed by this regulation, don’t have allowed limits in the Chilean legislation, this reflects the need to consider include on it. References: 1.1 Aflatoxin and Ochratoxin A contamination of retail food and intake of these mycotoxins in Japan. Kumagai et.al. Food Additives and Contaminants Vol 25 nº9 , September 2008, 1101-1106 1.2 49.2.19A Method “AOAC Official Method 994.08 Aflatoxins in Corn, Almonds, Brazil nuts, Peanuts, and Pistachio nuts” Multifunctional Column (Mycosep) Method. 1.3 A rapid multiresidual determination of type A and type B trichothecenes in wheat flour by HPLC-ESI-MS. Food Additives and Contaminants, March 2005, 22(3): 251-258 1.4 Japanese Official Analytical Method for Patulin (Notification Nº 369, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2003)