Assessment of Dietary Intake of Patulin from Baby Foods

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by microscopic fungi belonging to the Penicillium and Aspergillus genera, frequently detectable in moldy fruits and their derivatives fruit products. The EC Regulation 1881/06 has imposed the limit for the presence of patulin equal to 10 mu g/kg or 10 mu g/L in baby food on the basis of a PMTDI of 0.4 mu g/kg bw set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). A total of 120 homogenized baby foods were analyzed to evaluate the exposure of baby and children to patulin through the consumption of these products. None of examined samples has shown a toxin concentration above the limit imposed by the law, however a PAT concentration equal to 9 mu g/kg was found in 22 samples, slightly below the fixed limit. The presence of patulin in marketed baby food can be regarded as a parameter indicative of the quality of raw materials used.