title: Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in export quality raisins collected from different areas of Pakistan.
abstract: During 2012-2014, 170 samples of export quality raisins were collected from different vendors in Pakistan. The collected samples were analysed for the presence of aflatoxins (AFs) and Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination using high-performance liquid chromatography technique. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of AFs/OTA were 0.12/0.10 and 0.36/0.30 µg kg(-1), respectively. Only 5% of the samples were contaminated with AFs, ranging 0.15-2.58 µg kg(-1) with a mean of 0.05 ± 0.26 µg kg(-1). None of the raisin samples exhibited AFs contamination above the maximum limit (ML = 4 µg kg(-1)) as set by the European Union (EU). About 72% of the samples were contaminated with OTA, ranging 0.14-12.75 µg kg(-1) with a mean of 2.10 ± 1.9 µg kg(-1). However, in 95.3% of the tested samples, OTA level was lower than the ML of 10 µg kg(-1) as regulated by the EU. Apparently, a strict and continuous monitoring plan, including regulatory limits, improves food safety and quality for all types of commodities.
authors.affiliation: a Food and Feed Safety Laboratory , Food and Marine Resources Research Centre , Karachi , Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Asif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Asghar
authors.affiliation: a Food and Feed Safety Laboratory , Food and Marine Resources Research Centre , Karachi , Pakistan.
authors.forename: Aftab
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: a Food and Feed Safety Laboratory , Food and Marine Resources Research Centre , Karachi , Pakistan.|b Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre, Department of Chemical and Life Sciences , Waterford Institute of Technology , Waterford , Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iqbal
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002845:Chromatography; D003132:Commerce; D005504:Food Analysis; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D010154:Pakistan; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D027843:Vitis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins; D009793:Ochratoxins; C025589:ochratoxin A
keywords: Aflatoxins; HPLC; Ochratoxin A; Pakistan; contamination; raisins