Aflatoxin contamination in tahini

Sesame seeds can be contaminated with aflatoxins during growth or storage. Therefore, tahini, a sesame seed-based product, has potential risk of aflatoxin contamination. In this study, a total of 104 tahini samples collected from Central Anatolian region of Turkey were analysed for aflatoxin contamination. Analysis of samples was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection after immunoaffinity column clean-up, with recoveries ranging from 70.3 to 82.4%. In terms of incidence and quantity, aflatoxin B-1 was the predominant mycotoxin detected in 15 samples, with contamination levels ranging from 0.31 to 2.53 mu g/kg. The mean level of total aflatoxins in contaminated samples was found to be 1.17 +/- 0.55 mu g/kg. Our data revealed that aflatoxin B-1 and total aflatoxins levels determined in tahini samples were within the Turkish Food Codex limits. The incidence of contaminated tahini samples indicated that a regular surveillance program should be established to monitor the occurrence of aflatoxins in tahini.