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. 2021 Jun 9;69(22):6330-6338.
doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c01776. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Citrinin Dietary Exposure Assessment Approach through Human Biomonitoring High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry-Based Data

Alfonso Narváez  1 , Luana Izzo  1 , Yelko Rodríguez-Carrasco  2 , Alberto Ritieni  1   3
Affiliations

Citrinin Dietary Exposure Assessment Approach through Human Biomonitoring High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry-Based Data

Alfonso Narváez et al. J Agric Food Chem. .

Abstract

Citrinin (CIT) is a scarcely studied mycotoxin within foodstuffs, so the biomonitoring of this toxin and its metabolite dihydrocitrinone (DH-CIT) in biological samples represents the main alternative to estimate the exposure. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the presence of CIT and DH-CIT in 300 urine samples from Italian individuals in order to assess the exposure. Quantification was performed through an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS)-based methodology. CIT was quantified in 47% of samples (n = 300) up to 4.0 ng/mg Crea (mean = 0.29 ng/mg Crea), whereas DH-CIT was quantified in 21% of samples up to 2.5 ng/mg Crea (mean = 0.39 ng/mg Crea). Considering different age groups, average exposure ranged from 8% to 40% of the provisional tolerable daily intake, whereas four individuals surpassed the limits suggested by the European Food Safety Authority. These results revealed non-negligible exposure levels to CIT, encouraging further investigation in foodstuffs monitoring studies.

Keywords: Orbitrap; biomarkers; biomonitoring; citrinin; exposure; urine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Extracted ion chromatogram and the secondary mass (MS/MS) spectra of a human sample containing citrinin (1.24 ng/mg Crea) and dihydrocitrinone (2.48 ng/mg Crea).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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