Analysis of RASFF notifications for mycotoxins in 2020–2022

Introduction. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of various fungi. The contamination with mycotoxins is subject to control. Pursuant to the accepted classification in accordance with Council Directive 96/23/EC they belong to group B3: “Other substances and environmental contaminants”. Information on detected exceedances of maximum permitted levels in feed and food is notified to the RASFF and ACN information systems, which operate across the European Union.

Objective. Analysis of RASFF and ACN notifications for mycotoxins in food and feed in 2020–2022.

Materials and methods. 1,335 publications on exceedances of maximum permitted levels of mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and patulin) in food and feed have been analysed.

Results. Breakdown of mycotoxin notifications during the analyzed period was as follows: aflatoxins – 87.1%, ochratoxin A – 11.6%, patulin – 0.6%, deoxynivalenol – 0.5%, zearalenone – 0.2%. Aflatoxin contaminations were most often reported in groundnuts (764 notifications), ochratoxin A in dried figs (43 notifications), patulin in apple juice (6 notifications), zearalenone and deoxynivalenol in cereals and bakery products. Feedstuffs and feed ingredients were found to be contaminated only with aflatoxins (33 notifications), and 66.7% of notifications accounted for groundnuts intended for feeding. An analysis of mycotoxin contamination dynamics demonstrated that there was an increase in the number of notifications in 2021 and 2022.

Conclusion. According to RASFF and ACN notifications, mycotoxins were the third most notified hazard category in 2020–2022. Elevated mycotoxin concentrations were detected exclusively in plant products.

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