Aflatoxins Contamination of Human Food Commodities Collected from Jeddah Markets, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxins (AFs) are fungal secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus flavus. They contaminate of dietary food with AFs is a worldwide problem that affects both food safety and agricultural economies. AIM: The aim of this study was designed to investigate the AFs contents of human food commodities mostly consumed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The study was designed in vitro, contents in six food categories. A total of 288 samples were collected from 78 different markets in Jeddah. AFs were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector using immunoaffinity column clean-up. RESULTS: The results indicated that the incidence rate 27.3% of nut samples collected from Jeddah, were contaminated with AFB1, AFB2. The concentrations of AFs (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) were ranged from 0.19–482.4, 0.09–3.34, 0.19–87.1, to 0.09–579 μg/kg in the nut samples. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the importance of routine monitoring of AFs contamination in various dry foods for human consumed should be performed regularly and the nuts contained high levels of AFs. The legal regulations must be unauthorized for human consumption to control the health risks associated with AFs.