Monitoring of Ochratoxin A Occurrence and Dietary Intake in Tarhana, a Fermented Cereal-Based Product

The aim of this study was to determine the mold and ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination of tarhana, a traditional product widely consumed in Turkish cuisine. For this purpose, a total of 350 tarhana samples (homemade and industrially produced) were randomly collected from retail stores, markets, and bazaars in different regions of Türkiye and analyzed by means of LC-MS/MS for the occurrence of OTA. According to the results, OTA was detected in 36 of 150 (24%) industrially produced tarhana samples, with a concentration range of 0.12-2.34 µg/kg, while 118 of 200 (59%) homemade tarhana samples contained OTA, with the range from 0.16 to 4.15 µg/kg. Only 8 of 350 (4%) homemade tarhana samples were found to be above the maximum permissible limit (3.0 µg/kg) for OTA. The mold contamination was found to be higher in homemade tarhana (3.756 log CFU/g) than in the industrially produced samples (2.742 log CFU/g). The estimated weekly intake values of OTA with tarhana consumption were well below the provisional tolerable weekly intake values for both industrially produced and homemade tarhana samples, even when consumed every day of the week, indicating that dietary intake of OTA through tarhana consumption does not pose a health risk. In conclusion, optimizing the fermentation and drying conditions applied during tarhana production and ensuring proper hygiene conditions can help to reduce the risk of OTA contamination. Moreover, monitoring and testing the OTA levels in tarhana on a regular basis can also ensure the food safety of this product.