Risk assessment of ochratoxin A

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary metabolite of fungi such as A. ochraceus and P. verrucosum, which occur mainly in stored foods. OTA contamination has been found in various food commodities including cereals, coffee, cocoa, beer and wine. Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) conducted a risk assessment of OTA as a Self-tasking risk assessment, based on the studies on toxicokinetics, acute toxicity, subacute toxicity, genotoxicity, chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity, as well as the contamination survey in foods and estimated exposure to OTA in Japan. This paper summarizes the risk assessment of OTA reported in 2014.