Assessment of possible human exposure to ochratoxin A in Croatia due to the consumption of dry-cured and fermented meat products.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by the fungi of Aspergillus and Penicillium species. Data indicate a frequent OTA contamination of cereals and cereal products, and consequently also the contamination of meat and meat products. The aim of this study was to determine a possible level of meat product consumers' exposure to OTA through the consumption of dry-cured and fermented meat products available on the Croatian market.

TDS exposure project: relevance of the total diet study approach for different groups of substances.

A method to validate the relevance of the Total Diet Study (TDS) approach for different types of substances is described. As a first step, a list of >2800 chemicals classified into eight main groups of relevance for food safety (natural components, environmental contaminants, substances intentionally added to foods, residues, naturally occurring contaminants, process contaminants, contaminants from packaging and food contact materials, other substances) has been established. The appropriateness of the TDS approach for the different substance groups has then been considered with regard to the three essential principles of a TDS: representativeness of the whole diet, pooling of foods and food analyzed as consumed.