Publications

Cornfakes are a popular and convenient breakfast cereal made from corn and widely consumed worldwide, including in Lebanon. However, they are susceptible to mycotoxin contamination, which can have harmful efects on human health. Our study evaluated the occurrence of fve mycotoxins (AFB1, OTA, FUM, ZEA, DON) levels in packed cornfakes marketed in Lebanon. A market screening identifed 35 diferent cornfake stock-keeping units (SKU) in the Lebanese market, originating from 10 diferent brands and having diferent tastes and shapes. SKUs were collected and tested for fve mycotoxins in triplicates using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The results showed the presence of the fve mycotoxins in the samples. The average levels of AFB1, OTA, ZEA and FUM among positive samples (above limit of detection) were 1.58, 1.2, 15.1 and 774.1 μg/kg, respectively, and were below the EU limits. On the other hand, the average level of DON was 1206.7 μg/kg, exceeding the EU limit. Furthermore, out of the positive samples, 60%, 17%, 9%, 14%, and 6% exceeded the EU limits for DON, OTA, AFB1, FUM, and ZEA, respectively. Notably, SKUs made in Lebanon had signifcantly (p< 0.05) higher levels of AFB1 and FUM. The packing size of the cornfakes had no signifcant (p> 0.05) efect on the levels of the fve mycotoxins detected in the samples. AFB1, FUM and ZEA levels difered signifcantly among SKUs (p> 0.05). Considering these fndings, further studies should be conducted to assess the exposure to mycotoxins from the consumption of cornfakes in Lebanon, especially among children.