Determination of mycotoxin exposure in Germany using an LC-MS/MS multibiomarker approach

Scope: In this study, the exposure of a German population (n = 101) to mycotoxins was assessed using an LC-MS/MS urinary multibiomarker approach. Food consumption of the participants was documented with a food frequency questionnaire to correlate mycotoxin exposure with individual nutritional habits. Methods and results: The presence of 23 urinary biomarkers including trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol (DON), DON-3-glucuronide (DON-3-GlcA), T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin (HT-2, HT-2-toxin-4-glucuronide (HT-2-GlcA), fumonisins (fumonisin B-1, fumonisin B-2), aflatoxins (aflatoxin B-1, aflatoxin G(2), aflatoxin B-2, aflatoxin M-1), zearalenone and derivatives (zearalanone, alpha-zearalenol, beta-zearalenol, zearalenone-14-O-glucuronide, zearalanone-14-O-glucuronide, beta-zearalenol-14-O-glucuronide/beta-zearalenol-14-O-glucuronide), ochratoxin A, ochratoxin alpha, enniatin B and dihydrocitrinone was evaluated using a validated, sensitive dilute and shoot-LC-MS/MS method applying Scheduled MRMTM technology. Six mycotoxins and urinary metabolites were detected (DON, DON-3-GlcA, zearalenone-14-O-glucuronide, T-2 toxin, enniatin B, and dihydrocitrinone) in 87% of the samples in single-or co-occurence. Only DON and DON-3-GlcA were detectable in quantifiable amounts. A provisional mean daily intake of 0.52 mu g DON/kg body weight was calculated. No statistical evidence for the correlation of staple food intake and urinary biomarker concentration could be determined. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest a low everyday exposure of the investigated German population to mycotoxins, but reveal peak exposures above the widely accepted tolerable daily intake to DON in parts of the population.