Royal Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 15;14(1):16258. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63677-6.
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins that contaminate staple foods globally and pose a significant health risk. To the best of our knowledge, information on the occurrence of aflatoxins in Bhutanese diets is scarce. This study aimed to estimate the aflatoxin levels in selected foodstuffs in Bhutan and determine the health risk associated with aflatoxin exposure. Ten different types of food commodities were randomly collected from farmers' markets, shelves of supermarkets, and wholesale and retail shops from 20 districts of the country. The samples were subjected to analysis by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for both total aflatoxins (B, B, G and G and aflatoxin B. Among the 315 samples included, 48.81% and 79.35% were positive for total aflatoxins and aflatoxin B, respectively. The overall mean total aflatoxin concentration was 11.49 ± 12.83 µg/kg, and that for B was 17.62 ± 23.99 µg/kg. The most prevalent food commodity with the highest aflatoxin contamination was chili products. In addition, the estimated daily intake and margin of exposure to aflatoxin B via the consumption of chili products ranged from 0.98 to 5.34 ng kg bw day and from 74.90 to 408.10, indicating a risk for public health. The liver cancer risk was estimated to be 0.01 and 0.007 cancers per year per 100,000 population resulting from the consumption of chili products. The present findings revealed the presence of total aflatoxins and aflatoxin B in the selected samples. The margin of exposure values was exorbitant, demanding a stringent public health measure. Notably, these results suggest the need for routine monitoring of aflatoxin contamination in the region and stress rigorous safety management strategies to reduce exposure.
黄曲霉毒素是一种污染全球主食的真菌毒素，对健康构成重大威胁。据我们所知，有关不丹饮食中黄曲霉毒素发生情况的信息很少。本研究旨在估计不丹选定食品中的黄曲霉毒素水平，并确定与黄曲霉毒素接触相关的健康风险。从该国 20 个地区的农贸市场、超市货架、批发和零售商店随机采集了 10 种不同类型的食品。对这些样本进行了酶联免疫吸附测定，以检测总黄曲霉毒素（B、B、G 和 G 以及黄曲霉毒素 B）。在包括的 315 个样本中，总黄曲霉毒素和黄曲霉毒素 B 的阳性率分别为 48.81%和 79.35%。总黄曲霉毒素的平均浓度为 11.49±12.83µg/kg，B 的浓度为 17.62±23.99µg/kg。受黄曲霉毒素污染最严重的最常见食品是辣椒制品。此外，通过食用辣椒制品估计的黄曲霉毒素 B 的每日摄入量和暴露边际值范围为 0.98 至 5.34ng/kg bw day 和 74.90 至 408.10，表明对公众健康存在风险。估计每年每 10 万人因食用辣椒制品而导致肝癌的风险为 0.01 和 0.007 例。本研究结果表明，所选样本中存在总黄曲霉毒素和黄曲霉毒素 B。暴露边际值过高，需要采取严格的公共卫生措施。值得注意的是，这些结果表明需要对该地区的黄曲霉毒素污染进行常规监测，并强调需要采取严格的安全管理策略来降低接触风险。
