Transfer of ochratoxin A from raw black tea to tea infusions prepared according to the Turkish tradition

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a natural contaminant of food including tea with multiple toxic effects, which poses a threat to human health. In terms of lifestyle, the Turkish population is a frequent visitor of tearooms, and the traditional Turkish tea preparation is one of the most popular ways of preparing tea infusion.

Mycotoxins in Tea: Occurrence, Methods of Determination and Risk Evaluation

“…Few studies were focused on tea brew analysis for the reason of mycotoxin transfer estimation [ 16 , 39 , 46 ] or analytical method development [ 35 , 38 , 60 ]. Mycotoxin extraction from brewing was carried out by means of IAC (ochratoxin A targeted analysis) [ 28 , 39 ] or dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (16 mycotoxins, recovery from 66% to 127%) [ 38 ] or liquid-liquid extraction and “dilute and shoot” approach (proved to be suitable for ochratoxin A detection) [ 60 ].…”

“…Mycotoxin extraction from brewing was carried out by means of IAC (ochratoxin A targeted analysis) [ 28 , 39 ] or dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (16 mycotoxins, recovery from 66% to 127%) [ 38 ] or liquid-liquid extraction and “dilute and shoot” approach (proved to be suitable for ochratoxin A detection) [ 60 ]. Hence, the authors followed their preference while preparing tea brew, in short, 1.5–2 g of ground raw tea sample was put in contact with 150–250 mL of boiling water for 3–8 min [ 16 , 35 , 38 , 39 ] or Turkish traditional brewing [ 46 ]; it is reasonable to propose standard procedure [ 60 , 63 ].…”

“…Mycotoxin transfer from naturally contaminated tea into beverage was studied for ochratoxin A only and corresponded to 35–40% in the case of raw black tea [ 39 , 46 ]. Transfer from bagged black and green tea was 34 ± 4% and 54 ± 15% [ 16 ].…”

Determination of Fungi and Multi-Class Mycotoxins in Camelia sinensis and Herbal Teas and Dietary Exposure Assessment

“…Recent studies of commercial black and green teas based on routine laboratory analyses using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and fluorescence detectors (FLD) indicated high rates of storage-related mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA), which were found in dry tea leaves and into their infusions [8][9][10]. Mannani et al (2020) reported that more than half of all tested green tea samples (59%, n = 76) from a Moroccan tea market were positive for aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) and other AFs [11].…”

“…Recent studies of commercial black and green teas based on routine laboratory analyses using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and fluorescence detectors (FLD) indicated high rates of storage-related mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA), which were found in dry tea leaves and into their infusions [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”