An overview of regional mycotoxin contamination in Iranian food

Abstract

This work summarizes the current situation of mycotoxin contamination in Iranian food commodities (nuts, spices, beverages, baby foods, dairy products, and cereals) from four distinct agro-climatic regions (mountainous, Caspian-humid, hot-humid, and semi desert-desert). Furthermore, the collected data were compared to the maximum limits set by the ISIRI and the EU. Overall, mycotoxin contamination in some regions could pose severe problems for the public. Fumonisin B1 levels in maize were higher in the Caspian-humid area, a hot spot for esophageal cancer, than in the other regions. The same area had the highest mean levels of deoxynivalenol in cereals and patulin in apple juices. Opposite to that, the mountainous area showed higher mean levels of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in dairy products and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in cereals than in other regions. However, AFM1 contamination in dairy products was alerting in the four regions. Ochratoxin A (OTA) had a high prevalence (87–100 %) in hot beverages from the semi desert-desert region, and 40 % of the coffee samples collected exceeded the EU limits. Aflatoxins (AFs) and OTA contaminations in spices, especially red pepper, from the semi desert-desert region were alarming as they were higher than the EU maximum limits. Also, from the same region, the central spot for pistachio cultivation, nuts the highest contamination levels of AFB1 and AFs compared to the other areas. Moreover, there is a complete lack of data on emerging mycotoxins. These knowledge represent points of interest in enhancing food safety and protecting human health.