Co‐occurrence of citrinin and ochratoxin A in rice in Asia and its implications for human health

Citrinin (CIT) and ochratoxin A (OTA) are nephrotoxic mycotoxins, produced by several Aspergillus and Penicillium species and their co-occurrence in rice may cause health effects in humans. Rice is an important food crop worldwide and is a major staple food in Asia which may be invaded by CIT and OTA producing fungal spores in the field, during harvest and storage. Humans are exposed to these mycotoxins through ingestion of contaminated rice and other food commodities. Yet, data on the combined presence to these food contaminants are still insufficient to estimate human exposure in Asia. This review describes the prevalence of CIT and OTA in rice in Asia and its implications on human health, which may help in establishing and carrying…