Concentration of aflatoxins in edible vegetable oils: a systematic meta-analysis review

Edible vegetable oils are essential components of our daily diet that are widely consumed in great amounts worldwide. The present study evaluated the concentration of aflatoxins (AFTs) in highly consumed vegetable oils (including peanut, olive, corn, soya bean, linseed, sesame, palm, canola, sunflower, and coconut) through a systematic review and meta-analytic approach. Important international databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, were searched to retrieve published studies on aflatoxin (AF) concentrations in vegetable oils. The degree of heterogeneity between the studies was estimated by the I2 heterogeneity statistic. Eventually, the random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled concentration in subgroups, such as country and type of vegetable oils. According to the results of 19 articles included among 651 retrieved studies, the lowest and highest levels of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and total AF were related to the sunflower oil (2.64 µg/kg) and sesame oil (43.60 µg/kg), as well as olive oil (4.49 µg/kg) and sesame oil (194.10 µg/kg), respectively. Based on the continent type, the lowest and highest level of AFB1 and TAF belonged to the African Region (1.61 µg/kg) and Mediterranean Region (EMRO, 27.95 µg/kg), as well as Western Pacific Region (4.62 µg/kg) and EMRO (80.13 µg/kg), respectively. Our findings showed that the highest concentrations of AFs in the different studied samples were found in sesame oil in the EMRO region. The results of this meta-analysis can be useful in various risk management models in addition to health strategists and different industries for reducing the concentration of AF in vegetable oils.