Co-contamination of aflatoxin B1 and fumonisin B1 in food and human dietary exposure in three areas of China

Aflatoxins and fumonisins are ubiquitous foodborne toxicants and the co-occurrence of these mycotoxins in human foods represents a significant public health concern, which has been strongly associated with human aflatoxicosis, neural tube defects, as well as many types of primary cancers. In this study the co-contamination of aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) and fumonisin B-1 (FB1) in food and human dietary exposure was investigated in residents of three different areas of China. A total of 209 food samples were measured for AFB1 and FB1. The median AFB1 levels were 13.5, 2.3 and 1.3 mu g kg(-1) and the median FB1 levels were 2.6, 0.4 and 0.3 mu g kg(-1) in corn samples collected from Huaian (a high-risk area for oesophageal cancer), Fusui (a high-risk area for liver cancer) and Huantai (a low-risk area for both oesophageal and liver cancers), respectively. The median level of AFB1 in plant oil of Fusui was the highest (52.3 mu g kg(-1)) among all food samples analysed. Co-contamination of these two mycotoxins was found in corn, rice and wheat flour. Based on measured food consumption data, the averaged daily dietary intake of AFB1 was 0.397 mu g (range 0.269-1.218 mu g) in residents of Huantai, 1.723 mu g (0.224-49.772 mu g) in Huaian, and 2.685 mu g (1.006-14.534 mu g) in Fusui. The averaged FB1 daily dietary intake was 92.4 mu g (range 55.0-362.1 mu g) for residents of Huantai, 460.0 mu g (83.2-2894.5 mu g) in Huaian, and 138.6 mu g (30.0-10,541.6 mu g) in Fusui. These data suggest that the co-exposure to AFB1 and FB1 in residents of rural China may contribute to the aetiology of human chronic diseases in high-risk areas.