Study of mycotoxins and heavy metals contamination in rice samples of Mazandaran province by HPLC and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Rice is the main food in the diet of Iranian households that is exposed to mycotoxin and heavy metal contamination. The accumulation of these toxic compounds in the body leads to various diseases. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the contamination of rice in Mazandaran province. In this study, 40 rice samples from Mazandaran province were collected and evaluated for mycotoxin contamination (B1 aflatoxins and total aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol) and heavy metals (lead, arsenic and cadmium). The amount of mycotoxins was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and purified by immunoaffinity column (deoxynivalenol purification was performed using solid phase column). Arsenic measurement was carried out using hydride generation atomic absorption based optical spectroscopy technique, and measuring cadmium and lead was performed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Generally, the results showed that the average of aflatoxins B1, total aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol were 0.027, 0.36, 27.74, 13.70 and 55.4 ng/g, respectively. Lead in any of the samples was not observed and the mean concentration of cadmium and arsenic was 0.48 and 21.77 mg/kg, respectively. For all of mycotoxins, except ochratoxin A (in 25% of samples), samples were within the permitted limits of Iran national standards. However, 75% and 15% of the samples had high levels of arsenic and cadmium, respectively.