Dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 and ethanol from homemade and industrial fermented beverages in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of AFB1 contamination in agricultural products used to produce fermented alcoholic beverages is increasing, raising concerns for human health. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate dietary exposure to AFB1 and ethanol through homemade and industrial fermented beverages commonly consumed in South Kivu, DR Congo. METHOD: AFB1 and ethanol were measured using reverse-phase HPLC with a fluorescence detector and a refractive index detector, respectively. Data on fermented beverage consumption were collected from 847 adults using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). RESULTS: The findings revealed that industrial sample Man 8 had the highest exposure to AFB1 (77.8 ± 45.0 ng/kg b.w/day) and Man4 had the highest ethanol exposure (4.83 ± 2.40 mg/kg b.w/day); while among homemade samples, Kasiksi had the highest exposure to both AFB1 (8.8 ± 6.6 ng/kg b.w/day) and ethanol (2.46 ± 1.85 mg/kg b.w/day). The margin of exposure (MOE) for AFB1 was 1011.7 or less, and for ethanol, it was 818.2 or less. Men are more likely to be exposed. CONCLUSION: Increased consumption of homemade and industrial fermented beverages raises the risk of developing hepatocellular cancer (HCC) because the levels of AFB1 and ethanol MOE drop below the safe limit of 10000. Further research is needed to investigate the connection between AFB1, ethanol, and HCC, especially in regions where alcohol misuse is common.