Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the natural co-occurrence of multiple toxic fungal and bacterial metabolites in sugarcane grass and juice intended for human consumption in Upper Egypt. Quantification of the target analytes has been done using the “dilute and shoot” approach followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total number of 29 and 33 different metabolites were detected in 21 sugarcane grass and 40 juice samples, respectively, with a trend of concentrations being higher in grass than in juice. Among the regulated mycotoxins, only aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) were detected. The prevalence of AFB1 was in 48% of grass samples and in 58% of juice with a maximum concentration of 30.6 μg/kg and 2.10 μg/kg, respectively. AFG1 was detected in 10% of grass samples (7.76 μg/kg) and 18% of juice samples (34 μg/kg). Dietary exposure was assessed using a juice frequency questionnaire of adult inhabitants in Assiut City. The assessment revealed different levels of exposure to AFB1 between males and females in winter and summer seasons. The estimated seasonal exposure ranged from 0.20 to 0.40 ng/kg b.w./day in winter and from 0.38 to 0.90 ng/kg b.w./day in summer.
Highlights
Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum, is a tropical tall perennial grass cultivated in several countries of the world
None of the other mycotoxins addressed by regulatory limits in the European Union (EU) have been positively identified in any of the investigated samples
Smut, wilt and sett rot are the most important fungal diseases affecting sugarcane agriculture and causing remarkable economic losses [38,39,40]. This necessitates a detailed investigation of the probable effect of mycotoxins on the sugar industry and the other by-products such as alcohol as one of the main products derived from sugarcane
Summary
Saccharum officinarum, is a tropical tall perennial grass cultivated in several countries of the world. In Africa, sugarcane is the second most cultivated crop after cassava, where Egypt maintains the second position after South Africa [1]. In Egypt, around 97% of the total sugarcane production, 16 million tons in 2014, is cultivated in the upper part of the country [2,3]. The plant has a high sucrose and low fiber content and is used mainly for raw sugar and molasses production (brownish-black viscous syrup known as black honey in Egypt), in addition to the grass left over or bagasse, which is used as an animal feed supplement or fertilizer. It has been estimated that 80% of the world’s sugar comes from sugarcane [7,8], where Brazil and India are the largest producers worldwide [4,6]. The annual consumption of sugar in Egypt in 2010 was estimated to be 34 kg per capita [7]
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