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This study evaluated muti-mycotoxins in 199 samples including processed infant foods and raw materials collected randomly from an infant food company and assessed their role in dietary exposure in infants and young children via probabilistic risk assessment. Approximately 79.6 % (74/93) of the processed infant foods and 65.1 % (69/106) of the raw materials were contaminated by mycotoxins, with a mean occurrence level of 3.66-321.8 µg/kg. Deoxynivalenol (DON) and tenuazonic acid (TeA) were the more prevalent mycotoxins detected, based on their higher frequencies and levels across samples. Co-occurrence of more than two mycotoxins was detected in 61.3 % (57/93) of the processed infant foods and 53.8 % (57/106) of the raw materials. Wheat flour and derived products (e.g., infant noodles and infant biscuits) were contaminated with higher contamination levels and a greater variety of mycotoxins than other samples (e.g., infant cereal and rice grains). The estimated daily exposure to OTA, DON, ZEN, and TEN was lower than the corresponding reference health-based guidance values, indicating acceptable health risks. However, the estimated dietary exposure to alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), alternariol (AOH), and tenuazonic acid (TeA) exceeded the corresponding thresholds of toxicological concern values, indicating potential dietary intake risks. Among the various samples, cereals and cereal-based infant foods emerged as the primary contributors to mycotoxin exposure. Further research is advised to address the uncertainties surrounding the toxicity associated with emerging Alternaria mycotoxins and to conduct cumulative risk assessments concerning multiple mycotoxin exposure in infants and young children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Wheat grains are susceptible to contamination with various natural mycotoxins including regulated and emerging mycotoxins. This study surveyed the natural presence of regulated mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN), and emerging mycotoxins such as beauvericin (BEA), enniatins (ENNs such as ENA, ENA1, ENB, ENB1) and Alternaria mycotoxins (i.e., alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), alternariol (AOH), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN), and altenuene (ALT)) in wheat grains randomly collected from eight provinces across China in 2021. The results revealed that each wheat grain sample was detected with at least one type of mycotoxin. The detection rates of these mycotoxins ranged from 7.1% to 100%, with the average occurrence level ranging from 1.11 to 921.8 µg/kg. DON and TeA were the predominant mycotoxins with respect to both prevalence and concentration. Approximately 99.7% of samples were found to contain more than one toxin, and the co-occurrence of ten toxins (DON + ZEN + ENA + ENA1 + ENB + ENB1 + AME + AOH + TeA + TEN) was the most frequently detected combination. The dietary exposure to different mycotoxins among Chinese consumers aged 4–70 years was as follows: 0.592–0.992 µg/kg b.w./day for DON, 0.007–0.012 µg/kg b.w./day for ZEN, 0.0003–0.007 µg/kg b.w./day for BEA and ENNs, 0.223–0.373 µg/kg b.w./day for TeA, and 0.025–0.041 µg/kg b.w./day for TEN, which were lower than the health-based guidance values for each mycotoxin, with the corresponding hazard quotient (HQ) being far lower than 1, implying a tolerable health risk for Chinese consumers. However, the estimated dietary exposure to AME and AOH was in the range of 0.003–0.007 µg/kg b.w./day, exceeding the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) value of 0.0025 µg/kg b.w./day, demonstrating potential dietary risks for Chinese consumers. Therefore, developing practical control and management strategies is essential for controlling mycotoxins contamination in the agricultural systems, thereby ensuring public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the occurrence of 34 common antibiotic (15 sulfonamides and 19 quinolones) residues were evaluated in 236 ready‐to‐eat duck eggs (salted and preserved duck eggs) marketed through e‐commerce stores by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, and subsequent dietary risk assessments for Chinese consumers were conducted. Among violated positives in duck egg samples, 11 analytes were found including sulfamethazine, sulfaquinoxaline, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, sulfamonomethoxine, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin, flumequine, sarafloxacin, and nalidixic acid. A higher number of antibiotics were detected in salted duck eggs (five sulfonamides and six quinolones) than in preserved duck eggs (one sulfonamide and two quinolones). The maximum contamination of sulfonamides and quniolones was 448.0 µg/kg (sulfaquinoxaline) and 563.7 µg/kg (enrofloxacin) in salted duck eggs, respectively. Dietary exposure was evaluated through the estimated daily intake (EDI) of risky antibiotics (sulfamethazine, ciprofloxacin, and enrofloxacin) and hazard quotients (HQs). The results showed that EDIs and HQs were in the range of 0.0004 to 0.0099 µg/kg bw/day and 0.0009 to 0.1594%, respectively. The risk was low since HQs obtained were less than 100%. However, a special attention should be paid to ready‐to‐eat duck egg products high percentile consumers with the prosperity of e‐commerce market in China. Practical Application: The present analytical method could be used for multiresidue determination of antibiotics in ready‐to‐eat duck eggs, and dietary risk assessments of risky antibiotics provided a support for the work of regulatory bodies to conduct surveillance programs regarding food safety evaluation of ready‐to‐eat foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural occurrence of mycotoxins like Alternaria mycotoxins in food commodities is concerning in terms of health risks for humans. Currently, detailed investigations of Alternaria mycotoxins, such as alternariol (AOH), alternariol methyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN), and altenuene (ALT) in food commodities marketed through e-commerce stores in China remains scarce. In addition, not many studies have focused on the associated dietary risk of these mycotoxins. This study conducted a survey (486 samples) for five Alternaria mycotoxins using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) methods. Among five Alternaria mycotoxins, TeA had the highest occurrence rate (51.0%) and concentration (average concentration of 40.6 μg/kg) in food commodities, followed by TEN, AOH, AME, and ALT. Millet and tomato products were contaminated with higher levels of TeA than other types of food commodities. The combination of TeA + TEN and AME + TeA + TEN were the predominant two contamination patterns detected in cereal and fruit products. Chronic dietary exposures to Alternaria mycotoxins were performed by the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) approach. The mean and 95th percentile chronic dietary exposures to AOH and AME indicated different risk levels for consumers in China, with the highest exposure observed in the 2–7 years group, indicating potential dietary health concern. The mean chronic dietary exposures to TeA and ALT did not indicate a risk for the consumers, but the exposure to TeA through cereal product consumption exceeded the TTC value in the 2–12 years group at 95th percentile evaluation. Therefore, strategies should be continuously adopted to decrease or eliminate the occurrence of Alternaria mycotoxins in food commodities in order to reduce the dietary risks for humans. • Alternaria toxins screened in food samples marketed through e-ecommerce stores. • About 60.3% (293/486) of samples were contaminated with Alternaria toxins. • Co-occurrence Alternaria toxins was detected in 36.8% (179/486) of food samples. • Dietary exposures to Alternaria toxins indicated different risk levels for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging Alternaria and Fusarium mycotoxins are increasingly becoming a public health concern due to the frequent contamination of various food commodities with these mycotoxins, posing potential health risks to humans. This study developed QuEChERS extraction method coupled with LC–MS/MS for simultaneous quantification of alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), alternariol (AOH), tentoxin (TEN), tenuazonic acid (TeA), altenuene (ALT), enniatins (ENNs) A, A1, B, and B1, and beauvericin (BEA) in tomatoes and derived tomato products. The validated method was successfully applied for a survey of 194 tomatoes and derived tomato products. Overall, one or more mycotoxins were detected in 58.8% of the samples, 100% of tomato powders, 100% of canned tomatoes, 89.6% of tomato sauces, 82.1% of ketchups, 46.7% of tomato juices, and 20% of dried tomatoes, with no mycotoxins detected in fresh tomatoes. Various mycotoxins were detected at relatively higher contamination levels in tomato powders than in other tomato products. TeA, the most predominant mycotoxin, was detected in 56.7% of the samples with an occurrence level of up to 7,985 μg/kg. Approximately 39.2% of positive samples presented the co-occurrence of more than one mycotoxins, and AME + AOH + TeA was the most frequently detected combination. This study is the first to perform the deterministic risk assessment for children and adults on Alternaria and Fusarium mycotoxins that are present in tomatoes and derived tomato products in China. The results showed that the average and 95th percentile dietary exposures to these mycotoxins, especially to AME and AOH, in children might be higher than those in adults by a factor of approximately 2. The estimation of exposure to either Alternaria mycotoxins or Fusarium mycotoxins indicated that the presence of Alternaria and Fusarium mycotoxins in derived tomato products might be a health concern, especially among children and the populations consuming a high amount of these products. However, no firm conclusion could be drawn due to the lack of relevant in vivo toxicity data. This study serves as a useful reference for individuals and food safety authorities concerning mycotoxin contamination in food commodities. • Methods for emerging toxins determination in various tomato products were developed. • About 58.8% (114/194) of tomato-based products were contaminated with emerging toxins. • Co-occurrence of various emerging toxins was evident in 39.2% (76/194) of samples. • Dietary exposures to Alternaria and Fusarium toxins varied among children and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by various Fusarium species, was analyzed in 200 cereal-based food products collected from e-commerce stores in China. Optimized methods using immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up coupled with UV detection were applied. DON was detected in 87.5% (12.5–1920.4 μg/kg) of samples, and 10.5% of tested samples exceeded the legal limit for DON in China (1000 μg/kg). DON was found in 100% of whole wheat flour (51.6–1308.9 μg/kg), Chinese steamed bread (54.5–845.4 μg/kg), and biscuit (40.9–1920.4 μg/kg), samples, and in 85.3% of all-purpose flour (12.5–1285.4 μg/kg), 73.3% of maize flour (26.4–138.2 μg/kg), and 60.0% of oat flake samples (16.8–243.6 μg/kg), with 426.0, 293.0, 419.2, 455.7, 55.4, and 44.0 μg/kg, respectively, representing the mean levels in these products. A chronic intake assessment indicated that estimated daily intake (EDI) of DON through the consumption of wheat flour was 1.0–3.8 and 3.1–11.3 times that of the Provisional Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake (PMTDI) of 1.0 μg/kg body weight/day for adults and children, respectively, at different levels. The EDIs of DON consumed through wheat flour-derived products (Chinese steamed bread and biscuits) for children was 1.7–12.7 times those of the PMTDI at different levels, whereas the EDIs obtained through consumption of maize flour and oat flakes were 0.2 times lower than those of the PMTDI for both adults and children. In a dietary exposure assessment, the acute hazard indexes (aHI) for adults and children were above 100% of Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) of 8.0 μg/kg body weight/day) through the consumption of wheat flour, Chinese steamed bread, and biscuits, and the aHIs were only 16.4% (31.2%) and 5.1% (8.3%) of ARfD for adults (children). Among the cereal-based food products analyzed, both chronic (long-term) and acute (short-term) dietary exposure assessments for DON consumption by adults and children indicated that wheat flour (all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour), Chinese steamed bread, and biscuits have become sources of potential health hazards in the human diet in China. The risk associated with DON contamination in maize flour and oat flakes should also not be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantitative method with broad applicability was developed and validated for patulin determination in fruit products by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. Sample pretreatment was optimized for patulin extraction. 4.0 g of fruit products was extracted for patulin determination with acetonitrile and purified with a mixture of 1.0 g PSA and 3 g MgSO 4 plus a multifunctional cartridge to remove interferences. Under optimized conditions, the recoveries ranging from 75.6% to 118.5% were obtained at different spiking concentrations in various fruit products. The correlation coefficient of patulin from 5 to 1000 μg/L was approximately 1.00. The limits of detection (LODs) were from 2.6 to 7.5 μg/kg, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were from 8.0 to 15.0 μg/kg for patulin in various fruit products. A total of 137 fruit products (97 dried fruits, 20 fruit juice and 20 jams) marketed and consumed in China were investigated. The incidence of patulin in fruit products was 30.7% (42/137) with a concentration ranging from 10.0 to 276.9 μg/kg. This study revealed that the dried figs, dried longans (seedless) and dried hawthorn products showed an average of patulin contamination of 87.6 μg/kg, 68.4 μg/kg and 5.1 μg/kg, respectively; the fruit juice of 5.4 μg/kg; the fruit jams of 5.0 μg/kg. The highest levels of patulin were found mostly in dried longans (seedless) and dried figs. Overall, 17.5% of total samples exceeded the maximum limit of 50 μg/kg set by the EU regulation. Chronic intake assessment indicated that only 0.29% (Hazard Quotient) acceptable daily intake (PMTDI, 0.4 μg/kg bw/day) was consumed through dried fruits, fruit juice and jams. Individual dietary risk assessment indicated patulin contamination in fruit products doesn't pose public health risks, but combined additive or synergistic toxic effects caused by multiple mycotoxin contaminations should not be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]