ASSESSMENT OF MYCOTOXINS IN MAIZE AND ASSOCIATED DIETARY RISK IN SINDH PAKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71146/kjmr872Keywords:
Mycotoxins, Maize, Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins, Food toxicity, PakistanAbstract
A study was conducted to determine the natural co-occurrence of mycotoxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxins) in maize grown in Sindh, Pakistan. Mycotoxins were determined by using competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Aflatoxins were detected in 47.4% of samples (1.4–67.7 µg/kg), with 24.1% exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL, 20 µg/kg). ochratoxin was detected in 19.0% of samples (1–35.5 µg/kg), with 3.4 % exceeding the MRL (5 µg/kg). Co-occurrence was found in 11.2 % and observed no significant association statistically (p>0.05). Furthermore, a dietary risk assessment was calculated with mean and worst-case exposure and observed that aflatoxins posed a significant health concern yield a low margin of exposure (MOE: 17.39 and 3.55, respectively). Similarly, ochratoxins exposure through the maize exceeded 3.48-fold tolerable daily intake at worst case scenario. These findings highlight substantial contamination and associated health risks in maize from Sindh.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Zahid H Shar, Javed Hussain, Pirah, Muhammad Kashif Channa, Muhammad Ashraf Bajeer, Eidal Khan, Gul Afshan Soomro, Gul Afshan Soomro, Gul Afshan Soomro (Author)
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