Ochratoxin A in chamomile, black and green tea and human health risk assessment in Iranian population.

In the present study, OTA content of 97 black, green and chamomile tea samples and consequently, their carcinogenic (MOE) and non-carcinogenic effect (THQ) were estimated. As the results showed, 65, 36 and 38% of chamomile, black and green tea samples contained OTA with a maximum level of 47.7, 0.51 and 4.7 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. Furthermore, the OTA level in chamomile, black and green tea samples were found to be 13.7 ± 14.4, 0.17 ± 0.1 and 2.2 ± 1.2 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. Forty percent of chamomile tea (Matricaria chamomilla) and nineteen percent of green tea samples had over 2 µg kg⁻¹ of OTA. The risk assessment study revealed that even in the worst-case scenario, consumption of tea poses no serious health risk to Iranian consumers. However, there is a relatively high risk of OTA exposure for long-term high consumers who drinks at least four cups of chamomile beverage with maximum level of contamination per day. Considering the high amount of contamination in the samples analyzed in this study and based on the studies conducted in other countries in the same area, OTA level in Iranian beverages must be managed through risk assessment screening. Moreover, the simultaneous occurrence of mycotoxins is required to be investigated in further studies on different types of tea because the co- occurrence of mycotoxins may have a synergistic effect on the toxicity of each one of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]