Children receiving maize based complementary foods in Tanzania are at a high risk of exposure to multiple mycotoxins. We estimated consumption of maize based complementary foods and contamination of multiple mycotoxins in 300 households (100 from each of 3 three agro-ecological zones) of Tanzania. Complementary food consumption was estimated, for children aged 6 to 12 months, using two 24 h dietary recalls. Mycotoxins in the foods were analysed using an ultra high performance liquid chromatography / time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/TOFMS) method with a QuEChERS-based procedure for sample extraction. The risk of exposures above limits of health concern, such the tolerable daily intake of 2µg/kg/body weight/day (TDI) for Fumonisin B1 (FB1), was estimated for each of the mycotoxins, using the probabilistic approach. Maize based food consumption levels ranged from 13 - 185g/child/day (Average 59g/child/day). Contaminations were estimated for eleven mycotoxins at levels ranging from 3 - 1081µg/kg for aflatoxin B1, 12 -177µg/kg for aflatoxin B2 , 2.2 - 39µg/kg for aflatoxin G1 , 16 -73 µg/kg for ochratoxin A, 68 - 2196µg/kg for deoxynivalenol, 18 - 18,184 µg/kg for FB1, 178 - 38,217µg/kg for fumonisin B2 , 15 -25 µg/kg for HT-2 toxin and 651 -1464µg/kg for zearalenone (ZEN). Aflatoxin G2 was detected in one sample at 3µg/kg. The children were at a risk of exposures above the limits of health concern. The risk ranged from 18% for HT-2, through 35% for DON to 100% for total aflatoxins. These findings demonstrated that consumption of maize or its use in complementary foods in Tanzania possess very high risk of health effects. Strategies targeting more than one mycotoxin are urgently needed to minimize mycotoxin exposures from maize in Tanzania.

Risk of exposure to multiple mycotoxins from maize based complementary foods in Tanzania

251st National Meeting (2016)

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