Ocorrência de aflatoxinas em amostras de frutas secas no período de outubro de 2017 a setembro de 2018

Abstract

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi. The most commonly detected in fruits are aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, patulin and Alternaria toxins. They are toxic to humans and animals, with carcinogenic effects. Aflatoxin is the most potent naturally occurring carcinogen and is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic to humans (group 1). The acute clinical manifestation of aflatoxin intoxication in humans is acute hepatitis and chronic aflatoxicosis in humans is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. The present work analyzed the occurrence of aflatoxins in dried fruit samples imported by Brazil from October 2017 to September 2018 using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to fluorescence detection. The limit of quantification was 1 μg/kg. A total of 376 dried fruit samples were analyzed, 249 of which were raisins, 96 of plum, 28 of apricots, and 3 of figs. No sample had detectable levels of aflatoxins, demonstrating that imported dried fruits are safe foods for the presence of aflatoxins.