| Resumo: | Children can be biologically more sensitive to certain toxicants on a body weight basis than adults. Current understanding of the rates of maturation of metabolism and evidence from case studies indicated that this population group typically lack the capacity to detoxify and eliminate substances as readily as adults. Consequently, a disproportionate burden of exposure from food contaminants, as mycotoxins, is borne by children. In many parts of the world, children are routinely exposed to many mycotoxins via food chain and aflatoxins, fumonisins and deoxynivalenol are the three most common. Risk assessment is increasingly seen as an essential component in modern science-based food safety systems and plays a growing and important role in guiding food safety authorities. Most studies have focused on the risk assessment of single mycotoxins and there are scarce data concerning the risk associated with human exposure to multiple mycotoxins in foods, especially for those intended for children consumption. MYCOMIX, a recent Portuguese project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsKaz3mt2J4), assessed for the first time, the risk associated with the simultaneous exposure to 13 mycotoxins in breakfast cereals, processed cereal-based foods and biscuits consumed by children until 3 years old from Lisbon region, Portugal. Results on mycotoxins occurrence showed that 94% of the analysed samples were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin, although at levels below the legislated limits. Co-contamination was observed in 75% of the analysed samples. Estimated aflatoxins exposure suggested a potential adverse health effect for percentiles of intake above or equal to P50, determined through margin of exposure concept. Future studies on children exposure using mycotoxin biomarkers and attainment of detailed toxicological data, including health consequences associated to exposure to multiple mycotoxins are needed in order to perform a more accurate risk assessment and, through an informed risk assessment process, improve the protection of children´s health.
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