Journal of Research in Environmental Health

Journal of Research in Environmental Health

Investigation of Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A Contamination in Rice and Corn Supplied in Bandar Abbas City

Authors
Ayda Ghanbari
Najmeh Vahed dehkordi
Ebrahim Rahimi
Department of Food Hygiene, Shk.C., Islamic Azad University, ShahreKord, Iran.
10.22038/jreh.2025.27119
Abstract
Background and Objective: Today, mycotoxins are considered as critical contaminants and highlight the importance of food safety for human health. The invasion of toxic fungi and the production of mycotoxins are highly variable and depend on the climate, crop, and storage method. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A in rice and corn supplied in Bandar Abbas City. 

Materials and Methods: First, 96 samples including 48 corn samples and 48 rice samples were sampled from the supply sites and transferred to the laboratory. Independent sample t.test, ANOVA, and Duncan test were used to compare means, and Chi-Square test was used to compare the frequency percentages. 

Results: The results showed that all corn and rice samples were contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A; But none of the samples had contamination beyond the Iranian standard. The average contamination for corn and rice with aflatoxin B1 was 2.79 and 3.21 μg/kg, and the average contamination for corn and rice with ochratoxin A was 33.75 and 3.01 μg/kg, respectively. Statistical analyses showed that there was no statistical difference between the levels of contamination with aflatoxin and ochratoxin among different food samples. 

Conclusion: Exposure to mycotoxins in various foods is inevitable and concerns about their health effects are increasing. The results of the present study showed that the consumption of corn and rice supplied in Bandar Abbas city cannot pose any worrying risks to the health of consumers.

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords
Aflatoxin B1
Ochratoxin A
Rice
Corn
Food Safety
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