The aim of this study was to determine patulin levels in apple-based juices from the Romanian market and to establish a health risk assessment. For this purpose, 50 samples of apple-based juices have been purchased from the Romanian market. Aliquots were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate, analysed and quantified using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The patulin level in the apple juices from Romania ranged between <0.7 μg/l and 101.9 μg/l. In 6% of the 50 samples analysed, the maximum limit for patulin as set by the European Union (50 μg/l) was exceeded.
Keywords: apple juice; patulin; risk assessment.