Occurrence, dietary exposure and risk assessment to aflatoxins in red pepper flakes from Southeast of Türkiye

Aflatoxins contamination of foods is a global issue that severely threatens human health. This study aimed to measure total aflatoxin (AF) (aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2)) levels in red pepper flakes samples and to evaluate the potential dietary exposure and cancer risk to aflatoxin in the southeast of Türkiye. A total of 90 red pepper flake samples were collected from local markets Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, and Hatay provinces, Türkiye. Total AF in red pepper flakes was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). Then, the margin of exposure (MOE) and cancer risk were calculated. AFB1 and total AF were detected in red pepper flake samples at 98.89% and 100%, respectively. The number of red pepper flake samples exceeded the legislation limits for AFB1 was four, and there was only one sample for total AF. It was determined that AFB1 exposure could pose a risk to public health for Turkish adults (MOE < 10,000). Although AF exposure seems to be higher due to the high consumption of red pepper flakes in some regions of Türkiye, the risk of exposure and cancer may decrease because of complying with the recommendations of the dietary guidelines. The findings provide new insights into exposure to total AF by consuming red pepper flakes.