Incidence of ochratoxin A in rice and dried fruits from Rabat and Salé area, Morocco
International audience ; One hundred samples of dried fruits (20 dried raisins, 20 walnuts, 20 peanuts, 20 dried figs and 20 pistachios) and twenty samples of rice purchased from retail shops of Rabat and Salé area in Morocco were analyzed for ochratoxin A (OTA) by immunoaffinity (IAC) clean-up and LC with fluorimetric detection. The limit of quantification (LOQ) (S/N, 10:1) of OTA was 0.021 ng/g in rice, 0.027 ng/g in pistachio, peanut and walnut and 0.030 ng/g in dried raisins and dried figs. The incidence of OTA in dried raisins, walnuts, peanuts, dried figs and rice were 30, 35, 25, 65 and 90 % respectively. Analytical results showed that pistachio samples were with no detectable levels. OTA concentrations ranged from 0.02±0.01 to 32.4±2.10 ng/g in rice, from 0.10±0.05 to 2.36±0.75 in peanut, from 0.03±0.01 to 1.42±0.45 in dried figs, from 0.05±0.02 to 4.95±0.02 in dried raisins and from 0.04±0.01 to 0.23±0.05 in walnut. Results showed also that 15% of total analyzed samples of rice exceeded the maximum residue level (MRL) set by European Union regulations for OTA in cereals (European Commission 2002). This is the first report on the occurrence of OTA in dried fruits and rice available in Morocco.