Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

Abstract

Mycotoxin exposure in Nigerian children under two years of age: A comprehensive biomonitoring assessment

Chibundu N. Ezekiel

Dietary mycotoxin exposure in infants determined by examining several biological samples is scarce. Consequently, we adopted a multi-specimen, multi-mycotoxin approach to elucidate mycotoxin co-exposure patterns in 65 infants (aged 1–18 months) in Nigeria. Samples of breast milk and complementary food fed to the infants and their excreted urine were collected from the infants and analyzed by ultra-sensitive LC-MS/MS methods. The food samples were contaminated with seven mycotoxin classes, including aflatoxins (21% samples; max: 16 μg/kg) and fumonisins (33% samples; max: 167 μg/kg). Breast milk samples contained seven classes of mycotoxin including aflatoxin M1 (18% samples; max: 2 ng/L), and two mycotoxins (dihydrocitrinone (27% samples; max: 60 ng/L) and sterigmatocystin (4% samples; 1.2 ng/L)) detected for the first time. About 98% of the urine samples contained mycotoxins and up to seven mycotoxin classes were observed. Aflatoxin Q1 was the major aflatoxin metabolite in infant urine, occurring in 68% samples compared to aflatoxin M1 found in 9% samples. About 2–4, 2–6 or 2–6 different mycotoxin classes were found as mixtures in 33%, 100% and 86% of complementary food, breast milk and urine, respectively. All sample type contained mixtures of the carcinogenic aflatoxin and fumonisin. Overall, more mycotoxin occurrence mixtures and higher mean concentrations were foun in the urine of non-exclusively breastfed children compared to exclusively breastfed infants.

Published Date: 2020-10-09;