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Occurrence, Dietary Risk Assessment and Cancer Risk Estimates of Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A in Powdered Baby Foods

Çiğdem El1, Seydi Ahmet Şengül2

  • 1Department of Child Health and Diseases, Tayfur Ata Sökmen Medicine Faculty, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, 31060 Hatay, Turkey.

Toxins
|August 27, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Baby foods in Hatay show concerning levels of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A (OTA), exceeding legal limits in some samples. While aflatoxin M1 poses no risk, OTA consumption may lead to serious health issues for infants.

Area of Science:

  • Food Safety
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins and ochratoxin A (OTA), are common contaminants in food.
  • Baby food safety is paramount due to the vulnerability of infants to toxic substances.
  • Previous assessments of mycotoxin contamination in baby food in the Hatay region are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify aflatoxin and OTA levels in baby food from Hatay.
  • To assess the health risks associated with infant consumption of contaminated baby food.
  • To compare detected mycotoxin levels against established legal limits.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of baby food samples using fluorescence-detector high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-FLD).
  • Calculation of estimated daily intake (EDI), margin of exposure (MOE), and hazard index (HI).
  • Risk assessment for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), and OTA.

Main Results:

  • 11.5% of samples exceeded the legal limit for AFB1; 8.2% exceeded the limit for OTA.
  • AFM1 levels in all samples were below the legal limit.
  • HI for AFM1 and MOE for AFB1 and AFM1 indicated no significant risk.
  • MOE for OTA was below 10,000 in most products (except toddler formula), suggesting potential health risks.

Conclusions:

  • While AFB1 and AFM1 contamination in baby food does not appear to pose a risk to infants in Hatay, OTA contamination presents a significant health concern.
  • Consumption of certain baby foods, excluding toddler formula, may lead to serious health problems due to OTA.
  • Regulatory monitoring and control of OTA in baby food are crucial to protect infant health.

Keywords:
HPLC-FLDaflatoxinsbaby foodcancer riskochratoxin Arisk assessment

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