Dietary risk assessment of Alternaria toxins in cereals and their products from Wuhan

Cereals and cereal-based products are produced and consumed on a large scale around the world. In Wuhan, where carbohydrate-rich foods are particularly favored, cereals and their processed forms play a key role in the daily diet of local residents. Alternaria toxins frequently contaminate cereal products and may pose health risks to humans. In this study, we assessed the levels of Alternaria toxin contamination in cereals and cereal products from the Wuhan domestic market and performed a dietary risk assessment for Wuhan residents Material and methods. The levels of Alternaria toxins in 58 cereal and related product samples available in Wuhan were determined using HPLC-MS/MS. Additionally, the dietary exposure risk associated with these toxins was assessed by integrating the detection results with consumption survey data for rice and wheat products in Wuhan. Results . AOH was detected only in corn and wheat flour, and the average concentration (100%, 46.53 μg/kg, LB-UB) in corn surpassed those in wheat flour (76.92% and 2.40–2.52 μg/kg), while AME, TeA, and TEN levels were found to be more abundant in wheat flour (2.49-2.50, 198.71-198.71 and 23,60-23.60 μg/kg, respectively.). Median (P50) AOH exposure ranged from 0.21 to 3.18 ng/kg BW (LB–UB), with the lower bound below the TTC and the upper bound 2.12 times the TTC. Median (P50) AME exposure (0.10–0.39 ng/kg BW/d) did not exceed the TTC, even at P95. Median TeA (23.75–25.28 ng/kg BW/d) and TEN (2.38–2.47 ng/kg BW/d) exposures also remained below their respective TTCs at the P95 level.. Conclusion . Contamination of corn and wheat flour by Alternaria toxins is of particular concern. Meanwhile the dietary risk assessment for cereals and cereal-derived products suggests that AOH and AME may pose potential health concerns for the Wuhan population, whereas the risks from TeA and TEN appear comparatively low.