Assessment of infants and young children exposure to dietary mycotoxins in Ribeirão Preto/SP

Abstract

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi that occur naturally in foodstuffs, which can cause a large variety of toxic effects on vertebrates, including humans, especially children. The objective of this project is to assess the exposure of infants (e 1 year and < 2 years old), preschoolers (e2 and < 6 years old), schoolchildren (e 6 years and < 10 years old), and adolescents (e 10 years and < 19 years old) from Ribeirão Preto/SP to multiple mycotoxins in the diet using food data and biomarkers in urine, and characterize the associated risk. Sampling procedures will be conducted in the Vila Lobato Community Social Medical Center (VLCSMC) of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Children will be kindly invited (through their parents/responsible) to provide food samples from their homes, as well as urine samples four times every three months, from August/2022 until July/2023. The mycotoxins will be determined in food and urine by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The analytical data will be used to estimate the individual probable daily intake (PDI) for risk characterization.(AU)