Occurrence of patulin and its dietary intake through apple juice consumption by the Spanish population

A survey was conducted to determine levels and dietary intake of Patulin (PAT) from apple juices consumed in Spain. One hundred samples of apple juice were bought from distinct supermarkets. PAT was extracted by a liquid–liquid extraction technique and analysed with a micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method. 66% of the samples contained PAT over the limit of detection of the method (0.7 μg L−1). The PAT apple juice mean and median levels obtained were 19.4 and 4.8 μg L−1, respectively, in a range between 0.7 and 118.7 μg L−1. In 11% of the samples, PAT contamination exceeded the maximum permitted level of 50 μg L−1 established by the EU regulation. In Spain, no significant variations were observed with respect to data published 15 years ago.Intakes were calculated for average consumers among adults, children and babies and then compared with the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) proposed by JECFA in 1995. Estimated daily intake of PAT in this study represents 14%, 39% and 63% of the PMTDI, respectively.