title: A risk assessment of dietary Ochratoxin a in the United States.
abstract: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin (fungal toxin) found in multiple foodstuffs. Because OTA has been shown to cause kidney disease in multiple animal models, several governmental bodies around the world have set maximum allowable levels of OTA in different foods and beverages. In this study, we conducted the first exposure and risk assessment study of OTA for the United States' population. A variety of commodities from grocery stores across the US were sampled for OTA over a 2-year period. OTA exposure was calculated from the OTA concentrations in foodstuffs and consumption data for different age ranges. We calculated the margin of safety (MOS) for individual age groups across all commodities of interest. Most food and beverage samples were found to have non-detectable OTA; however, some samples of dried fruits, breakfast cereals, infant cereals, and cocoa had detectable OTA. The lifetime MOS in the US population within the upper 95% of consumers of all possible commodities was >1, indicating negligible risk. In the US, OTA exposure is highest in infants and young children who consume large amounts of oat-based cereals. Even without OTA standards in the US, exposures would not be associated with significant risk of adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, 469 Wilson Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, 469 Wilson Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research Unit, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.affiliation: The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 248 Food Innovation Center Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Andreia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianchini
authors.affiliation: IDF, Inc. 3801 E. Sunshine St., Springfield, MO 65808, USA.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cappozzo
authors.affiliation: The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 248 Food Innovation Center Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stratton
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. Moscow, ID 83844, USA.
authors.forename: Dojin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, 469 Wilson Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: fwu@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins; D009793:Ochratoxins