Investigation of ochratoxin a in blood sausages in the Czech Republic: Comparison with data over Europe

• Published in: Food research international 2022-07, Vol.157, p.111473-111473, Article 111473
• Main Authors: Pickova, Darina, Toman, Jakub, Mikyskova, Petra, Ostry, Vladimir, Malir, Frantisek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal product; Czech market; Mycotoxin contamination; Nephrotoxin; Porcine blood; Risk assessment
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111473

[Display omitted] •Two hundred Czech blood sausage samples were tested for ochratoxin A (OTA)•All tested sausages were contaminated with OTA.•The Italian maximum OTA limit of 1 ng/g was exceeded in 66% of our samples.•The blood sausages represent potential risk of dietary exposure to OTA.•The European Union legislation does not regulate OTA in animal products. Blood sausages consisting of groats, pork, porcine offal, fat, blood, and spices are very popular in the Czech Republic. All these ingredients are potential sources of dietary exposure to ochratoxin A (OTA). OTA has a strong affinity to serum proteins in porcine blood. Thus, the contamination of blood sausages with OTA can be expected. This study aims to evaluate OTA in 200 samples of porcine blood sausages purchased at the Czech market during 2020–2021. The analytical method high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection with pre-treatment using immunoaffinity columns was employed to determine OTA. The limit of detection was 0.03 ng/g and the limit of quantification 0.10 ng/g. Recovery was 71.6 %. All samples were positive at contents ranging from 0.15 to 5.68 ng/g with a mean of 1.47 ng/g, and a median of 1.26 ng/g. A total of 66% of these samples contained OTA content exceeding the maximum limit of 1 ng/g set in Italy. This study demonstrates that the Czech population is exposed to OTA from blood sausages. The proposed preliminary action limit for OTA in blood sausages should be set at 1 ng/g. No regulatory limits for OTA in blood sausages have been established yet in the European Union legislation. To protect human health, further monitoring of OTA in these products is necessary.