Pesticides and mycotoxins evaluation in medicinal herbs and spices from EU and non-EU countries

Abstract

• Mycotoxins and pesticide levels were determined by HPLC, GC–MS/MS and LC–MS/MS. • A risk assessment of the presence of mycotoxin and pesticides was evaluated in several key medicinal herbs. • The quality standards of commercial medicinal herbs were evaluated. In recent years, the growth of the field of medicinal herbs and the increased demand for plant-derived products have raised questions about their safety for consumer health. The evaluation of mycotoxins and pesticide residues in these matrices are among the major concerns. For this reason, forty-seven samples of different medicinal herbs were purchased from Italian herbal shops and the presence of these contaminants was assessed. AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and OTA A were characterised using high-performance chromatography with a FLD detector (LOQs were set at 0.375 μg/kg for aflatoxins and 1.0 μg/kg for ochratoxin A). A QuEChERS modified method was used for pesticide residue determination followed by GC–MS/MS and LC–MS/MS analysis (LOQ was set at 0.005 mg/kg). The two strategies proved to be complementary and contributed to a greater pesticide residues characterisation. About thirty percent of the samples analysed were found to be contaminated. Data highlighted the importance and the need to implement international monitoring in these types of matrices.