Levels of zearalenone and its metabolites in sun-dried kapenta fish and water of Lake Kariba in Zambia — A preliminary study

Highlights: • Zearalenone (ZEN) is present in sun-dried kapenta fish – traditional, popular food in Zambia. • ZEN and its analogs levels were determined by HPLC method. • The levels of ZEN in the particular probes of kapenta fish ranged from 27.18 μg kg⁻¹ to 53.88 μg kg⁻¹ • Sun-dried kapenta fish can contribute to the exposure of consumers to ZEN. • Sources of ZEN in these fish are unknown, so further studies in this area are needed. Contamination of food with mycotoxins and the associated possibilities of human intoxication is a serious problem in Africa. One of the most widespread mycotoxins is zearalenone (ZEN), which usually occurs in food of vegetable origin. On the other hand, information about ZEN in products of animal origin in African countries is extremely scanty. During the present study, levels of ZEN and its analogs: α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) and β-zearalenol (β-ZEL) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection in sun-dried kapenta fish – traditional Zambian food, as well as in the water of Lake Kariba – the main source of kapenta fish in Zambia. This study revealed that levels of ZEN in sun-dried kapenta fish fluctuated from 27.2 μg·kg⁻¹ to 53.9 μg·kg⁻¹, whereas the contamination of water from Lake Kariba with ZEN is rather minimally similar to the content of ZEN analogs in both kapenta fish and water. The obtained results have shown that sun-dried kapenta fish of Lake Kariba contain ZEN and may contribute to the exposure of consumers to this substance.