Background: Toxicological investigations of tissues of normally slaughtered
chickens were carried out to provide preliminary evaluation of the incidence
of OTA in chicken tissues (n=90). Majority of tissue samples were not found
to contain measurable amounts of OTA, while in general, the OTA levels found
in the analyzed tissue were low. Methods: The presence of OTA in tissue
samples was determined by HPLC-FL after liquid-liquid extraction procedure.
Method validation was performed according to the Commission Decision
2002/657/EC. Results: Of the 90 liver, kidney and gizzard samples originating
from chicken farms located in the different agricultural areas of Serbia, OTA
was reported in 23 (38.33%), 17 (28.3%) and 16 (26.6%) samples, respectively,
with levels ranging from 0.14 to 3.9 ng/g in liver, 0.1 to 7.02 ng/g in
kidneys and 0.25 to 9.94 ng/g in gizzard. None of the tissue samples
contained more than the maximum level (10 ng/g) recommended by the European
Commission. Conclusion: Low OTA results also suggested that chicken meat
available in the retail market is unlikely to pose an adverse health risk to
the consumers in respect to OTA toxicity.
Improvements in Cd stable isotope analysis achieved through use of liquid–liquid extraction to remove organic residues from Cd separates obtained by extraction chromatography