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Aflatoxin contamination in different fractions of rice from Pakistan and estimation of dietary intakes

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of aflatoxins in rice milling fractions and to estimate dietary intakes. A total of 413 rice samples (paddy 58, parboiled 69, brown 84, white 93, and broken 109) were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detector. The results showed that 64 % paddy (16.35 ± 1.67 μg/kg), 38 % parboiled (14.20 ± 2.04 μg/kg), 33 % brown (9.85 ± 1.25 μg/kg), 42 % white (7.10 ± 1.39 μg/kg), and 50 % broken (8.5 ± 1.71 μg/kg) rice samples were contaminated with aflatoxins. It was found that paddy rice was most contaminated with aflatoxins while white rice was least contaminated. The percentage of samples exceeding EU maximum contents for total aflatoxins in rice (4 μg/kg) varied from 14 to 36 % when compared to the analyzed rice fractions. The total estimated amount of aflatoxin intake for average rice consumers ranged from 19.1 to 26.6 ng/kg body weight/day, much higher than the reference value of 1 ng/kg body weight/day. This is the first report discovering that rice is a major contributor to the dietary intake of aflatoxins in Pakistan.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission for providing the facilities and equipment for present study and are grateful for the research funding by Higher Education Commission, Islamabad.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they are no conflict of interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, 38000, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Shahzad Z. Iqbal, Noreen Akram & Muhammad Zuber

  2. Toxicology Lab, Department of Plant Protection Division, Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad R. Asi

  3. Department of Animal Production and Food Science, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Agustin Ariño

Authors
  1. Shahzad Z. Iqbal
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  2. Muhammad R. Asi
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  3. Agustin Ariño
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  4. Noreen Akram
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  5. Muhammad Zuber
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Correspondence to Shahzad Z. Iqbal.

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Iqbal, S.Z., Asi, M.R., Ariño, A. et al. Aflatoxin contamination in different fractions of rice from Pakistan and estimation of dietary intakes. Mycotoxin Res 28, 175–180 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-012-0131-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-012-0131-1

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