Background/Aims: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Mongolia is growing at an alarming rate. Traditional dried food was suggested as the major reason for high HCC numbers, due to possible aflatoxin contamination during manufacturing. We thus aimed to measure aflatoxin concentrations in Mongolian food samples. Methods: Samples of traditional Mongolian food (‘aaruul', dried meat, and dried noodles; in total 11 samples) were collected and shipped to Germany. The food samples were analyzed for aflatoxins by extraction, immunoaffinity purification, and subsequent HPLC with fluorescence detection. Results: The traditional Mongolian food samples did not contain any detectable amounts of aflatoxin. Conclusion: Since Mongolian food does not contain aflatoxins, the cause for the increasing HCC incidence in Mongolia is probably due to a high prevalence of viral hepatitides. Further studies to identify the reason for this development are warranted.

Journal Section:
Short Communication
Keywords:
Aflatoxin exposure, Hepatitis B and C, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Liver cancer, Mongolian food
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© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
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