Ochratoxin A non-conventional exposure sources-A review

摘要

OchratoxinA(OTA)is one of themost studiedmycotoxins,with great public health andagroeconomic significance. The exposure of both humans and animals to this fungal toxin has been associated to food matrices since its discovery. However, according to recent reports, OTA may also represent a potential airborne hazard, in waterdamaged buildings, or occupational contamination, inworkplaceswith high mould exposure, such as agricultural, farm and alimentary industries. Further, in addition to the conventional studied food matrices, worldwide consumed, there are increasing reports on different and less obvious sources of alimentary exposure. These include traditional and home-made food products, highly consumed by specific groups of populations that thusmight be at risk. This paper aims to spotlight the current knowledge on these non-conventional OTA exposure sources.