Global prevalence and concentration of aflatoxins in meat and edible offal: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The presence of aflatoxin in meat presents significant health risks for consumers and has been the subject of numerous relevant publications. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the prevalence and concentration of aflatoxins (AFTs) in meat, meat products, and edible offal (MOP) from different countries and aflatoxin types. Fifty-six studies with 335 data published between September 1990 and November 2023 were identified. Overall, 31 % of the MOP samples were contaminated with AFTs. The prevalence of AFTs ranges from 7 % in Italy to 92 % in Iran. Among the detected AFTs, total AFTs exhibited the highest prevalence (53 %). The overall AFTs concentration in the MOP was 3.126 μg/kg; the lowest and highest concentrations were found in sheep liver (253.00 μg/kg) and cooked liver sausage (0.170 μg/kg), respectively. The AFTs in the MOP varied significantly, with the highest levels found in Egypt (3.951 μg/kg) and the lowest levels in Turkey (0.062 μg/kg). Aflatoxin M1 had the lowest concentration (1.021 μg/kg), whereas AFG1 had the highest concentration (3.506 μg/kg). This finding highlights the need for specific mitigation strategies that target AFTs in MOP.