Aflatoxin B1 levels, dietary exposure and cancer risk assessment in sesame and nut-based foods in Türkiye

AYDEMİR ATASEVER M., Güler İnce M. B., ALKAN POLAT B., Özlü H., ATASEVER M.

Mycotoxin Research, vol.41, no.3, pp.447-455, 2025 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 41 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s12550-025-00594-1
  • Journal Name: Mycotoxin Research
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, PASCAL, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.447-455
  • Keywords: Estimated daily intake, Food contamination, Margin of exposure, Mycotoxins, Public health
  • Erzincan Binali Yildirim University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a highly toxic mycotoxin commonly found in oilseeds and nuts, poses serious public health and economic risks. Türkiye's climatic conditions are conducive to AFB1 contamination, particularly in sesame- and nut-based foods. This study investigated the presence of AFB1 in 100 widely consumed samples of tahini, tahini halva, hazelnut paste, and peanut paste. AFB1 was detected in 67% of the samples, with exceedances of the European Commission (EC) limit (2 µg/kg) notably high in tahini halva (80%) and peanut paste (60%); in contrast none of the hazelnut paste samples surpassed the legal threshold. The findings indicated that no samples of hazelnut paste exceeded the legal limits set by the EC. However, 4 tahini (13.33%), 24 tahini halva (80%), and 12 peanut paste (60%) samples exceeded the EC limits. Dietary exposure estimates were calculated based on lower bound (LB), middle bound (MB), and upper bound (UB) contamination scenarios. Margin of exposure (MOE) values for tahini halva were consistently below the safety threshold of 10,000, suggesting a possible health concern. The estimated annual incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to AFB1 exposure ranged from 0.000888 to 0.00219 cases per 100,000 adults, remaining below European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) reference risk levels. These findings underscore the need for targeted surveillance and stricter regulatory controls on sesame-based products, particularly tahini halva, within national food safety frameworks.