Monitoring of Aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, and G2 in Spices from Riyadh Markets by Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A total of 1053 samples of spices were collected from Riyadh markets during 2022. The contamination with aflatoxins (AF) B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), and G2 (AFG2) was determined via liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. AF extraction from spices was performed using an acetonitrile-formic acid mixture. The results obtained show that the highest value for AFB1 (3.865 μg/kg) was detected in the bay leaf sample, while the highest value for AFB2 (3.461 μg/kg) was found in red chili powder. The values of AFG1 and AFG2 did not exceed 2.59 μg/kg. The AF analysis shows that 24 out of 1053 samples (2.3%) contained one or more of these AFs. The highest percentage of contaminated samples was detected in black pepper. AFB1 was found in 21 samples of six types of spices, while AFG2 was detected in eight samples of four types of spices. Also, none of the samples exceeded the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and EU limits of 10 μg/kg. The present research is not a comprehensive study; however, it provides valuable information on AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 levels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spices.