Risk Assessment of Dietary Exposure to Aflatoxin Contamination in Spices

This study highlights the daily consumption of spices in human diet and the potential of aflatoxin B1 (AFBI) contamination which attributable to the risk of developing liver cancer. All the AFBI contamination data in spices from various studies in Malaysia were considered for calculation of risk assessment by dietary exposure and margin of exposure (MOE). The mean dietary exposure to AFB1 ranges from 0.21-1.32 ng/kg-bw/day (overall mean, 0.59 ng/kgbw/day), and 12.27 ng/kg-bw/day was the highest reported level of AFBI contamination. The MOEs derived from these dietary exposures at a benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL10) of 0.305 µg/kg-bw/day were 230-1,450 (overall mean, 520). The MOE of less than 10,000 indicates the risk of AFBI contamination in spices should be a high priority for risk management actions. Based on the tolerable daily intake (TDI) in Asia of 0.11-0.19 ng AFB1/kg-bw/day for liver cancer risk per 100,000 populations, the overall mean of 0.59 ng/kg-bw/day represents 3-536% of this TDI. Population risk for primary liver cancer attributable to AFB1 contamination in spices were 0.01-0.03 (0.1-0.7%) and 0-0.31 (0-6%) cancers/year/100,000 population, for mean and range of exposures. The risk, which was less than 1 cancer case/year/100,000 population, suggested that Malaysian population is not significantly at risk.