Ochratoxin A in rice on the Moroccan retail market.

One hundred (100) samples of rice purchased from retail markets in five different cities (Rabat, Témara, Salé, Casablanca and Méknès) in Morocco from January to October 2006 were surveyed for the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) using Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) coupled to liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The identification of OTA in positive rice samples was confirmed by methyl ester derivatization. Analytical results showed a frequency of contamination of 26% of total analyzed rice samples. The percentage of contamination of samples was 24, 26.6, 16.6, 27.7 and 30% in Rabat, Témara, Méknès, Salé and Casablanca respectively. Levels of OTA in positive samples ranged between 0.08 and 47 ng/g. The average contamination of all analyzed samples was 3.5 ng/g. The highest frequency of positive samples (30%) and the most contaminated sample (47 ng/g) was found in a sample from Casablanca city. 14 out of 100 total samples exceeded the maximum level of 5 ng/g set by European regulations for OTA in cereals. Based in the results presented in this study, the estimated daily intake of OTA in rice was 0.32 ng/kg bw/day for Moroccan consumers.