Assessment of Mycotoxin Co-occurrence in Infant Foods in Pirassununga and 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, especially in children due to their high physiological vulnerability. The objective of this project isto determine the co-occurrence of mycotoxins in infant formula, fruit- and cereal-based foods traded in Pirassununga and Ribeirão Preto/SP. Samples will be collected every 3 months from March 2022 until February 2024. In each city, samples of 5 types of food products intended for infant consumption (infant formulae, follow-on formulae, cereal-based foods for babies, maize-based foods for babies, and fruit-based products) will be collected in supermarkets, making up a total of 100 samples per sampling month. Therefore, in total, 80 samples of each type of product will be collected and analyzed, totaling 400 samples during the study. Multiple mycotoxin determination in the different food types will be performed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).