Aflatoxin occurrence in retail rice and rice-derived products from Bangladesh: An evaluation of dietary exposure and related health risks

Abstract

Aflatoxins are potent carcinogenic and genotoxic secondary metabolites from fungi, posing significant health risks. This study aimed to detect the presence of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and AFT-total aflatoxins) in rice and rice-derived products, including puffed and flattened rice, from different local markets of Dhaka using HPLC with fluorescence detection, and to estimate health risks. AFT was detected in two periods, with a higher prevalence in period I (Rice: 29.55%, Flattened-rice: 60%) than in period II (Rice: 25%, Flattened-rice: 50%), whereas no aflatoxin-positive samples were found in puffed rice. AFT contaminations combining both periods in rice and flattened rice were 27.63% (0.47 µgkg−1 - 3.63 µg kg−1) and 55.0% (0.37 µgkg−1 - 0.87 µgkg−1), respectively. Subsequently, a health risk assessment was conducted by evaluating the margin of exposure (MOE) and the risk of liver cancer associated with consuming aflatoxin-contaminated foods. The mean MOE values for adults and children consuming AFT-contaminated rice were 8.36 and 4.89, respectively, both below the cutoff of 10,000, suggesting a potential health risk. Additionally, the mean liver cancer risks for adults and children consuming AFT-contaminated rice were 0.051 and 0.088 cases/year/100,000 people, respectively. Similarly, the mean MOE value for adults consuming AFT-contaminated flattened rice samples was 3771.4, whereas the mean cancer risk for adults was 0.0003 cases/year/100,000 people. The study identified a potential health risk from aflatoxin-contaminated rice and flattened rice, and underscored the need for effective monitoring and risk management strategies.