Transfer of ochratoxin A from raw black tea to tea infusions prepared according to the Turkish tradition

BACKGROUND Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a natural contaminant of food including tea with multiple toxic effects, which poses a threat to human health. In terms of lifestyle, the Turkish population is a frequent visitor of tearooms, and the traditional Turkish tea preparation is one of the most popular ways of preparing tea infusion. RESULTS The aim of this study was to investigate OTA transfer from raw black tea to the tea infusion prepared according to the Turkish tradition. A high‐performance liquid chromatography method with a limit of quantification of 0.35 ng g−1 was used for OTA determination. The OTA amount in raw black teas from Turkey ranged from ≤0.35 ng g−1 up to 56.7 ng g−1. An homogenised sample of black tea naturally contaminated with 55.0 ng g−1 was used to prepare infusions. The OTA transfer from the black tea to the infusion was found to be 41.5% ± 7%. CONCLUSION These data are important for the realisation of a ‘Total Diet study’ (TDS). The TDS can be a complementary tool to estimate the population dietary exposure to OTA across the entire diet by analysing main foods prepared ‘as consumed’ (tea infusions) and not ‘as purchased’ (raw tea). © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry