Occurrence and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Patulin and Major Alternaria Toxins in Commercial Infant Fruit Purées from Italian and Spanish Markets Using Targeted Analysis and Suspect Screening.
- 1Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
- 2Department of Chemistry and Physics, University of Almeria, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almeria, Spain.
- 3R&D Department, Tentamus Iberia, Unit B-7, Calle Árbol del Amor, s/n, 04007 Almeria, Spain.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the co-occurrence and to assess the dietary health risk of multiple mycotoxins in fruit-based purées intended for infant consumption, combining targeted quantification and dietary exposure assessment with high-resolution suspect screening. Forty samples with varying apple content were randomly collected from Italian (n = 20) and Spanish markets (n = 20). A fit-for-purpose ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of patulin (PAT) and three Alternaria toxins, including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN), providing satisfactory sensitivity, accuracy and precision. Targeted analysis revealed frequent co-occurrence of PAT, AOH, and AME, whereas TEN was not detected. Dietary exposure assessment indicated that PAT posed negligible health risks, whereas AOH and AME exceeded their respective Thresholds of Toxicological Concern (TTCs) across all evaluated population groups, indicating Alternaria toxins as the main contributors to dietary risk. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) suspect screening expanded the mycotoxin profile through the identification of tenuazonic acid, the tentative identification of altenusin and aflatoxin G2, and the annotation of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, a potential interferent in PAT determination. Overall, the proposed workflow provides a comprehensive strategy for mycotoxin monitoring in infant fruit purées and supports enhanced surveillance of emerging Alternaria toxins.
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BibTeX
@article{pambianco2026occurrence,
title = {{Occurrence and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Patulin and Major Alternaria Toxins in Commercial Infant Fruit Purées from Italian and Spanish Markets Using Targeted Analysis and Suspect Screening.}},
author = {Enrico Pambianco and Octavian Augustin Mihalache and Chiara Dall'Asta and Antonia Garrido Frenich and Laura Carbonell-Rozas},
journal = {Toxins},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/toxins18100413},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931504},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Occurrence and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Patulin and Major Alternaria Toxins in Commercial Infant Fruit Purées from Italian and Spanish Markets Using Targeted Analysis and Suspect Screening.
AU - Enrico Pambianco
AU - Octavian Augustin Mihalache
AU - Chiara Dall'Asta
AU - Antonia Garrido Frenich
AU - Laura Carbonell-Rozas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Toxins
DO - 10.3390/toxins18100413
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931504
AB - The aim of this study was to evaluate the co-occurrence and to assess the dietary health risk of multiple mycotoxins in fruit-based purées intended for infant consumption, combining targeted quantification and dietary exposure assessment with high-resolution suspect screening. Forty samples with varying apple content were randomly collected from Italian (n = 20) and Spanish markets (n = 20). A fit-for-purpose ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of patulin (PAT) and three Alternaria toxins, including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN), providing satisfactory sensitivity, accuracy and precision. Targeted analysis revealed frequent co-occurrence of PAT, AOH, and AME, whereas TEN was not detected. Dietary exposure assessment indicated that PAT posed negligible health risks, whereas AOH and AME exceeded their respective Thresholds of Toxicological Concern (TTCs) across all evaluated population groups, indicating Alternaria toxins as the main contributors to dietary risk. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) suspect screening expanded the mycotoxin profile through the identification of tenuazonic acid, the tentative identification of altenusin and aflatoxin G2, and the annotation of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, a potential interferent in PAT determination. Overall, the proposed workflow provides a comprehensive strategy for mycotoxin monitoring in infant fruit purées and supports enhanced surveillance of emerging Alternaria toxins.
SN - 2072-6651
ER -