DeterminatIon of ochratoxin A and total aflatoxin levels in corn samples from Turkey by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Forty-seven samples of corn were collected from various street bazaars and market outlets in different regions of Turkey and total aflatoxin (AF) and ochratoxin A (OTA) levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following sample preparation. Levels of AF and OTA in corn samples ranged between 1.75-120.3 μg/kg and 1.08-8.57 μg/kg, respectively. Although 53% of the samples analysed had no detectable levels of AF, 4% of similar samples were found to contain AFs above the acceptable limit of 10 μg/kg in Turkey. For OTA, 4% of the corn samples had levels above the acceptable limit (3 μg/kg) in Turkey, with over 43% samples not found to contain this mycotoxin. Although the levels of mycotoxins analysed in this study were not found to be high and the percentage of samples contaminated above permitted limits were low, the importance of overall daily dietary intake should not be underestimated and control of these fungal metabolites in corn must be explored to minimise the hazards they may cause in humans. © 2009 Society for Mycotoxin Research and Springer.