Background and Objectives: Non-sanitary conditions during the drying, transport and storage stages in the production of spices could introduce mycotoxin contamination. The aim of the current study was to determine the concentration of ochratoxin A (OTA) in 92 commercial spices (including red pepper, black pepper, turmeric and cinnamon) imported to Iran.

Materials and Methods: OTA levels were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection coupled with immunoaffinity column clean-up step. Mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile–water–acetic acid (49.5:49.5:1.0, v/v/v), and the flow rate was 1 ml/min.

Results: The recovery values ranged from 77.10% ± 6.66 to 94.84% ± 8.38 for spiking of cinnamon at 0.5 and 5 ng/g, respectively. Overall, 29 out of the 92 (31.5%) samples were contaminated with OTA ranged from 0.45 to 18.64 ng/g. The results from statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference (p<0.05) between the types of spices in the concentration of OTA.

Conclusions: Incidence of OTA contamination in red pepper and cinnamon was significantly higher than in black pepper and turmeric. The highest concentration of OTA was detected in a sample of red pepper (18.64 ng/g). The results revealed that it is essential to continue regular monitoring for OTA in imported spices to shield consumer health.

Keywords: Ochratoxin A, Black pepper, Red pepper, Turmeric, Cinnamon