Fungal contaminants in Turkish bottled water and their mycotoxin-producing potential
Articles > Article · 2025
Authors: Tunç, Gülhan, Uçar, Fusun, Telli, Osman, Lima, Nelson, Boiu-Sicuia, Oana-Alina
GMS hygiene and infection control, International, 2025, vol 20, pp Doc41-Doc41
DOI: 10.3205/dgkh000570
Summary
Introduction: The chemical composition and microbial contaminants of commercially bottled water are managed according to public health regulations, but there are gaps in these criteria for fungal agents. For this reason, commercial bottled water brands filled in 19-L polycarbonate bottles from various water sources in western Anatolia and sold in Izmir and neighboring provinces were randomly selected and analyzed. Materials and methods: B4 strain, was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: The most dominant strains detected in the analysis of water samples were Cladosporium, Penicillium and Alternaria. With 411.586 µg/l, the amount of citrinin was well above the upper limit for beverages. Conclusion: The values obtained here emphasize that fungal contaminants and mycotoxins in bottled water should be included in the water analysis criteria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detailed research in this field in Turkey.