A preliminary survey of citrinin contamination in dried fruits, molasses and liquorice products in Turkey

Abstract

Citrinin, a nephrotoxic mycotoxin, is mainly produced by some species of Penicillium, Aspergillus and Monascus genera. Citrinin can be found as a contaminant in various grains, fruits, juices, plants, spices and dairy products, resulting in chronic human exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of citrinin in several dried fruits, molasses and liquorice products collected from local markets in Istanbul, Turkey. Citrinin analysis was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with fluorescence detection after liquid-liquid extraction and immunoaffinity column clean-up. Among 41 samples, citrinin was determined in one out of 5 dried grape samples at a content of 5.56 mu g.kg(-1) and in three out of 5 dried white mulberry samples at a mean content of 5.29 mu g.kg(-1) whereas two out of 3 liquorice products contained citrinin at a mean content of 19.14 mu g.kg(-1).