Alternaria toxins in food and feed: EFSA updates its risk assessment

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated its assessment of the risks to human and animal health from eight Alternaria toxins. These substances, produced by moulds, can contaminate food and feed.

The assessment considers the latest scientific evidence, new data on toxin levels, and updated exposure estimates for both humans and animals.

EFSA concluded that five of the eight Alternaria toxins assessed are genotoxic, meaning they can damage DNA, the genetic material of cells: alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), altertoxin I (ATX-I), altertoxin II (ATX-II), and stemphyltoxin III (STTX-III).

Tenuazonic acid (TeA) was the most frequently found toxin, particularly in mulberries, paprika powder, and tomatoes. While current data are insufficient to conclude whether TeA is genotoxic, experts took a conservative approach and concluded with 98% certainty that there is a low probability of adverse effects from dietary exposure. For altenuene (ALT) and tentoxin (TEN), dietary exposure was well below levels where adverse health effects typically occur.

The primary food sources contributing to exposure include cereal-based products, fruit juices, tomatoes, vegetables, and oils. Infants and young children generally faced the highest estimated exposure relative to body weight. Regarding animal health, more data are needed; while AOH and AME are unlikely to pose concerns for meat-producing chickens, health risks from TeA exposure for poultry cannot be excluded.

For the first time, EFSA explored non-animal methods to estimate dietary exposure levels. Although these findings were not integrated into the final risk assessment due to remaining data gaps, they represent a significant step forward. EFSA recommends further research and data collection to strengthen future risk evaluations.