Dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin G1, ochratoxin A, and patulin through fruit juice consumption: A probabilistic assessment of health risk

The present investigation assessed the risk of dietary exposure to four mycotoxins, namely aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and patulin (PAT) via fruit juice consumption for Iranian consumers. In 96 fruit juice samples obtained from Iran market, mycotoxins levels were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Also, probabilistic health risk assessment was conducted in terms of tolerable daily intake percentage (%TDI) and under cancer risk scenarios. The average concentrations of mycotoxins in the fruit juice samples did not vary significantly among the analyzed samples. The highest mean total level of AFB1 and AFG1was observed in sour cherry, and that of OTA and PAT in pomegranate and apple juice samples. The sour cherry juice demonstrated the highest %TDIs for AFB1 and AFG1 at 50th, 80th, and 95th centiles, while pomegranate juice and apple juice were associated with the highest %TDIs for OTA and PAT, respectively. Across all fruit juice samples, %TDIs for PAT remained below 1.0 at the three centiles. However, %TDIs for AFB1, AFG1, and OTA exceeded 1.0 at these centiles. Based on Monte Carlo Simulation model used for cancer risk scenario, at these centiles, oral consumption of the analyzed samples poses no carcinogenic risk for exposure to AFB1 and AFG1.