Contamination of apple juice with T2, HT2 and their glucosides: Analysis, occurrence, and impact on toxin exposure

T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 toxin (HT2) are secondary metabolites mainly produced by fungi of the Fusarium genus. These toxins are most commonly associated with cereals such as oats, wheat, maize, or rye, for which the European Union has established maximum levels. In addition to the parent compounds, several modified forms of T2 and HT2 are known; these include plant- and microbial-derived metabolites such as glucose conjugates, which can release the parent toxin during digestion and therefore are of toxicological concern. In this study, 58 apple-juice samples from Germany were analysed for the presence of T2, HT2 and their glucoside conjugates. Apple juices analysed were clear or cloudy, from conventional or organic growth as well as from meadow orchards or classical plantation. T2 was detected in 50 samples (86 %) and HT2 in 51 samples (88 %). The mean concentration of the sum of T2, HT2 and their glucosides calculated as T2/HT2 equivalents was 6.46 μg/L with a median of 4.20 μg/L and maximum concentration of up to 29.0 μg/L. When the median concentration of the analytes was combined with consumption data for apple juice, the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.02 μg kg -1 body weight per day was exceeded in most scenarios. This clearly demonstrates the importance of monitoring T2, HT2 and their modified forms as well as the need for further research and the development of mitigation measures.