Contamination of aflatoxins in different kinds of foods in China.
OBJECTIVE
To study the contamination of total aflatoxins (AFs) in different kinds of foods including corn, peanut, rice, walnut, and pine nut in six provinces and two municipalities in China.


METHODS
A total of 283 samples of corn, peanut, rice, walnut and pine nut were randomly collected from local markets in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces, as well as in Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities. The samples were ground to which acetonitrile/water solution was added. After filtering, the extract was transferred into a MycoSep purifying column and was pressed slowly. Then the purified liquid was derivatized with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and assayed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).


RESULTS
AFs were detected in 70.27% of corn samples, with a mean level of 27.44 microg/kg and the highest level of 1098.36 microg/kg. In peanut, the AFs detection rate was 23.08%, with a mean level of 0.82 microg/kg and the highest level of 28.39 microg/kg. Very few rice samples with AFs were detected. The AFs levels were very low in walnut and pine nut.


CONCLUSIONS
Corn is the food most seriously contaminated with AFs in China. AFB1 is the main aflatoxin which is found as a contaminant in foods.
Wang
Jun
J
Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
Liu
Xiu-Mei
XM
D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D009754:Nuts / Q000737:chemistry; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
D000348:Aflatoxins