Occurrence and risk assessment of zearalenone through broa consumption, typical maize bread from Portugal

- Different Portuguese maize bread, broa, was investigated for zearalenone.
- A higher contamination frequency was observed in samples with maize and wheat.
- The ZEA levels in broa were not totally suitable with regard to the EU legislation.
- There is no concern about intake of ZEA through its consumption by adult population.

The occurrence of zearalenone (ZEA) in maize bread, broa, for human consumption, from the Portuguese market, was evaluated. Good analytical performance was obtained through extraction with acetonitrile:water (90:10), clean-up with immunoaffinity columns, and detection and quantification by liquid chromatograph with-tandem mass spectrometry. ZEA levels were determined in 52 samples to verify the compliance with the maximum permitted levels by the European legislation. One broa sample exceeded the maximum limit established. A higher contamination frequency was observed in samples in which maize and wheat were present. Overall, 13.5% of the samples were contaminated, at levels oscillating between 9.6 and 50.4 μg/kg. Considering the percentage of the tolerable daily intake (TDI) obtained, 0.6%, the risk assessment linked with the exposure to ZEA was considered very low for the studied population. This is the first study on the intake assessment of ZEA through maize bread consumption in Portugal.