Mycotoxin detection in infant formula milks in Italy

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2010-01, Vol.27 (1), p.64-71
• Main Authors: Meucci, V., Razzuoli, E., Soldani, G., Massart, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aflatoxin M1 - analysis; Aflatoxin M1 - toxicity; Animals; baby food; Baby foods; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography; chromatography - high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; clean-up - affinity columns; Fluorescence; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Food toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Humans; Infant; Infant Food - analysis; Infant Food - toxicity; Infant Formula - chemistry; infant formulae; Infant, Newborn; Italy; Metabolites; Methods of analysis, processing and quality control, regulation, standards; milk; Milk - chemistry; Milk - toxicity; mycotoxins; mycotoxins - aflatoxins; Mycotoxins - analysis; mycotoxins - ochratoxin A; Mycotoxins - toxicity; Ochratoxins - analysis; Ochratoxins - toxicity; Toxicology; Toxins
• ISSN: 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/02652030903207201

After birth, infant formulas constitute an important or often sole food source for infants during the first months of life. In this study, a survey on the presence of aflatoxin M 1 (AFM1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in the 14 leading brands of infant formulas marketed in Italy was conducted. Mycotoxins were determined by immunoaffinity column clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. AFM1 was found in two of 185 samples, but at levels below the European legislation limit of 25 ng l −1 . OTA was detected in 133 (72%) samples (range = 35.1-689.5 ng l −1 ). It has been observed that OTA contamination was 80% in the ready-to-use preparations and 63% in the powdered samples. The Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) reviewed the toxicology on OTA and concluded that it would be prudent to reduce exposure to OTA ensuring that exposure is towards the lower end of the range of tolerable daily intakes of 1.2-14 ng kg −1 body weight day −1 . OTA was also evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and a provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) of 100 ng kg −1 body weight was established. The OTA levels in pre-term ready-to-use infant formulas were sufficient to cause a higher OTA intake than the suggested TDI. The results point out the need to perform controls for prevention programmes especially when attempting to identify risk markers of the infant feed quality.