Prevalence and Exposure Assessment of Alternaria Toxins in Zhejiang Province, China

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of four <i>Alternaria</i> toxins (alternariol [AOH], alternariol monomethyl ether [AME], tenuazonic acid [TeA], and tentoxin [TEN]) in various foods and assess the risk of <i>Alternaria</i>-toxin exposure in Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 325 samples were collected in this study, and at least one type of <i>Alternaria</i> toxin was detected in 53.85% of the samples. Wheat flour had a high detection rate of 97.41%, and TeA was the most prevalent compound in terms of concentration and detection rate. Assessment of <i>Alternaria</i> toxins using the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) method showed that the majority of the population had a low exposure risk. Population-wide dietary exposure assessment suggested a potential health risk for some residents with 95th percentile (P95) assessment values 0.0038, 0.0128, and 0.0047 µg/kg b.w. for AOH from wheat flour and AOH and AME from Coix rice, respectively, exceeding the TTC value of 0.0025 µg/kg b.w. Probabilistic assessment showed that the mean exposure of children aged ≤6 years to AOH via wheat flour for P92 and of those aged 7-12 years for P93 were both 0.0025 µg/kg b.w. Exposures to TeA and TEN were within the acceptable limits (below the TTC value of 1.5 µg/kg b.w.). Age-group probabilistic and point assessments indicated that children aged ≤6 and 7-12 years are at higher exposure risk. This study provides a useful reference for developing limiting values and legislation for <i>Alternaria</i> toxins in food.