Dietary exposure to fumonisins and ochratoxins in the Chinese general population during 2007-2020: Results from three consecutive total diet studies

Abstract

As widespread contaminants, fumonisins (FBs) and ochratoxins (OTs) in food may cause public health threat. In this study, the dietary exposures to FBs and OTs in the Chinese general population were investigated by means of a total diet study (TDS) approach. A total of 672 composite dietary samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in three consecutive China total diet studies from 2007 to 2020. Combining with the national consumption data, estimated dietary exposure to FBs and OTs were assessed and compared with health-based guidance values (HBGVs). The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of FBs were 55-237 ng/kg bw/day at the upper bound accounting 2.77%-17.4% of provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI). Cereals were the greatest contributor to fumonisin exposure. For ochratoxin A (OTA), the EDIs were 0.65-5.72 ng/kg bw/day at the upper bound accounting 4.67%-40.8% of provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). Although the estimated exposures were well below their respective HBGVs in general, they were found to exceed HBGVs in sporadic regions. Moreover, there was a remarkable increase in the dietary exposure to fumonisin B3 (FB3) and ochratoxin B (OTB) over the last decade that is worth further attention.

Keywords: Exposure assessment; Fumonisins; Mycotoxins; Ochratoxins; Total diet study.