Monitoring of Alternaria Toxins

The fungi genus Alternaria is widely distributed in the environment. Numerous species of this genus can produce a variety of toxic secondary metabolites, called Alternaria mycotoxins. These can contaminate cereals, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, during growth as well as during storage, causing possible health-endangering effects. In order to better monitor these toxins, the European Commission (EC) has published the commission recommendation (EU) 2022/553, in which it requests EFSA to carry out a human exposure assessment. The recommendation stipulates that Member States, in close cooperation with the food business operators, should monitor the Alternaria toxins Alternariol (AOH), Alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) and Tenuazonic acid (TeA), particularly in the following matrices:

  • Fruits (apples, citrus fruits, olives and dried figs)
  • Vegetables (tomatoes and processed tomato products)
  • Oilseeds and tree nuts
  • Cereals
  • Spices (paprika powder)

We want to help you get a head start and help you monitor their possible presence in your supply chain. To this effect, we have created a new method, ALT_01_A, which specifically bundles the three Alternaria toxins from the EC recommendation. For this we have moved both Alternariol and Alternariol monomethyl ether from our current MYC_02_A method and have added Tenuazonic acid (TeA).

 

Method code

ALT_01_A

Reporting limit

Alternariol: 2 µg/kg

Alternariol methyl ether: 2 µg/kg

Tenuazonic acid: 20 µg/kg

Accreditation

Yes

Technology

LC-MSMS

Reporting times

8h, 36h, 5WD

 

More information

Apart from this new ALT_01_A method, our scope also comprises two other methods to analyse mycotoxins: MYC and MYC_02_A. If you have any questions regarding these different analysis methods or you would like some additional information on Alternaria toxins, do not hesitate to contact us.