Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in buffalo milk from the Campania region (Italy): Decreasing trend and baseline assessment over 10 years (2008-2018)

Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorodibenzo-furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs) enter the food chain from the environment. In this study, we report the 2008-2018 time-trends in the PCDD/F and DL-PCB contamination of milk from buffaloes fed on local forage in rural areas of the Campania region. Validated according to QA/QC criteria, the dataset (N = 808 on a total of 2068 samples, after excluding follow-up results and outliers) was computed on the upper-bound value pgWHO-TEQ(2005) g(-1) fat. We assessed time-trends and assayed baseline contamination levels, which displayed log-normal distribution. A significant decreasing trend (p < 0.01) was observed from 2008 to 2009 and 2010; the P50-P95 range fell from 2.37-8.48 pg WHO-TEQ(2005) g(-1) fat (N = 393) in 2008 to 1.73-4.61 in 2009 (N = 86) and to 0.67-1.46 in 2010 (N = 42). From 2010 to 2018 (N = 329), no significant variation was found among years and the related dataset fitted a log-normal distribution (p < 0.05). Occurrence descriptors indicated that the baseline contamination of dairy products (mean = 0.54; P50-P95 = 0.47-1.24) in the Campania Region was well below the EU regulatory limit in force (5.5 pg WHO-TEQ(2005) g(-1) fat). Given the Tolerable Weekly Intake of 2 pg WHO-TEQ kg(-1) body weight (bw) proposed by the EFSA for PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs, this level of baseline contamination is discussed with regard to the orientation of food safety and food security risk connected with buffalo mozzarella cheese production. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.