Table 1.
Incidence and occurrence of AFB1 in different kinds of spices in Lebanon.
| Spices |
Samples analyzed (n) |
Contamination level (μg/kg) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (%) of samples exceeding MTL | Range of contamination | Mean ±SD | ||
| Sweet pepper | 13 | 0 | 0.14–0.96 | 0.23 ± 0.22 |
| White pepper | 10 | 0 | 0.15–3.11 | 0.51 ± 0.92 |
| Black pepper | 9 | 0 | 0.15–0.32 | 0.19 ± 0.06 |
| Cinnamon | 8 | 0 | 0.15–0.84 | 0.27 ± 0.23 |
| Nutmeg | 6 | 2 (33.3%) | 1.65–18.35 | 7.28 ± 6.76 |
| Turmeric | 3 | 0 | 0.14–0.16 | 0.15 ± 0.01 |
| Cumin | 3 | 0 | 0.14–1.90 | 0.74 ± 1.00 |
| Paprika | 4 | 0 | 0.15–0.94 | 0.42 ± 0.37 |
| Spices Mix | 17 | 0 | 0.13–3.87 | 0.63 ± 0.93 |
| Total | 73 | 2 (2.7%) | 0.13–18.35 | 0.97 ± 2.68 |
MTL for AFB1 in spices indicated in this table is 5 μg/kg.