Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in Some Dried Fruit Products Marketed in Iran

ABSTRACT: Ochratoxin A (OTA) continues to attract global attention concerning the hazard and impact on both human and animals based on its toxicity and occurrence. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies it as possible carcinogen to human (group 2B). A total of 98 samples of dried fruits consisting of coconut, sour cherry, slices of peaches, quinces, and pineapple from Isfahan, Iran were analyzed for OTA by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The mean recovery percentage of OTA in spiked dried fruit samples at the concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 ng/g were found to be 84.9, 89.3 and 90.4%, respectively. The detection limits for OTA by ELISA was 0.625 ng/g according to the manufacturer’s description. OTA was found in 3.1% of the analyzed samples by average concentration of 3.73 ± 2.27 ng/g. The incidence rates of OTA contamination in dried coconut, and slices of quince samples were, 10.0%, and 5.6%, respectively. The concentration of OTA in any of contaminated dried fruit samples were not higher than maximum tolerance limit accepted by the European Union (10 ng/g). This value reflects that the analyzed samples have a minimal contribution to toxicological risk. Keywords:Dried fruit, ELISA, Iran, Ochratoxin A.