Determination of Deoxynivalenol in Cereal-Based Foods and Estimation of Dietary Exposure

Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a trichothecene mycotoxin. DON contamination in agricultural food staples such as wheat, barley, and maize due to Fusarium colonization is an increasing problem. In order to provide risk managers with better guidance for regulatory measures, the concentration of DON in cereal-based foods (n = 689), collected from six cities between June 2005 and August 2008, was determined. Further, dietary exposure to DON was estimated by combining data on DON concentration in these foods with their consumption rates. Among 689 samples, 272 samples (39%) were contaminated with DON. Relatively high DON concentrations were found in dried corn, with a mean concentration of 109 μg/kg (n = 74). Daily intake of DON simulated by the @Risk program was estimated to between 0.066 and 0.142 μg/kg body weight (bw)/d for males and between 0.066 and 0.144 μg/kg bw/d for females. The major contributor to DON exposure in the 50th and 95th percentile intake groups was polished rice. For each age class, young children (3–6 yr) showed the highest relative intake, with a mean intake of 0.142 μg/kg bw/d for males and 0.144 μg/kg bw/d for females. However, the estimated daily DON intake did not exceed the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (1 μg/kg bw/d) for any age group or gender. From our risk assessment, it was concluded that the current intake of DON in South Korea may not serve as a serious health hazard.

This research was supported by a grant (08072KFDA611) from the Korea Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and a grant from the Korea Food Research Institute in the Republic of Korea.

Notes

Hyun Ee Ok and Hyun Jung Kim contributed equally to this work.

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Korea Food and Drug Administration.