The current study was aimed to investigate the presence

of aflatoxins (aflatoxin B  (AFB ), aflatoxin B  (AFB ), aflatoxin

1 1 2 2

G  (AFG ) and aflatoxin G  (AFG )) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in Gaz, a

1 1 2 2

traditional Persian confection, and its ingredients (almond,

pistachio, egg and white wheat flour) collected from Isfahan,
Kerman and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces using high-
performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection
(HPLC-FD) in 2017. The findings obtained in this study showed that
74.2%, 39.2%, 12.5%, 5.8% and 34.2% of total Gaz samples
contained detectable levels of AFB , AFB , AFG , AFG  and OTA,
1 2 1 2

respectively. Moreover, AFB , AFB , AFG , AFG  and OTA were found
1 2 1 2

in 55.3%, 34.1%, 7.6%, 4.11% and 18.2% of ingredients of Gaz

samples, respectively. The ranges for positive samples were 0.2–
21.9 μg/kg AFB , 0.2–5.6 μg/kg AFB , 0.2–2.0 μg/kg AFG  and 0.2–
1 2 1

0.6 AFG . OTA was found in 76.6%, 16.0%, 70.0% and 66.6% of
2

white wheat flour, egg, Gaz coated with flour containing almond
and Gaz coated with flour containing pistachio with mean
concentrations of 17.8 ± 2.2, 0.4 ± 0.0, 3.4 ± 0.8 and
2.8 ± 0.9 μg/kg, respectively. With respect to the adverse effects of
AFs and OTA on human health, more strict regulatory monitoring
and legislations must be applied in order to reduce exposure of
Iranian population to toxin residues due to consumption of
different food products such as traditional Gaz confection.
Introduction
Gaz is one of the most well-known Iranian traditional confections
with a long history of manufacturing more than 450 years, making
it one of the oldest sweets in the world. It has the cultural and
historical identity in the central parts of Iran especially Isfahan,
Kerman and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces that is exported to
many countries (Dehghani, Sami, & Mirlohi, 2016). Iranian
traditional Gaz production has been increased by 20% since 2006
and currently accounting for 450000 tons (Annual Agricultural
Statistics of Iran, 2017). It is prepared by mixing a sweet and
viscous substance called as “Gaz of angebin” or “Gaz of Khunsar”,
white wheat flour, starch, sugar, glucose syrup and egg white, and
flavored with rosewater, cardamom, saffron and almond and/or
pistachio kernels (Hojjati, Speziale, Noguera-Artiaga, & Carbonell-
Barrachina, 2015). Based on conventional technique, an appropriate
amount of Gaz of angebin is dissolved in hot water, then white
wheat flour, starch, sugar, glucose syrup and rosewater are added
and continuously stirred in a large stainless steel container with an
electric paddle at room temperature for approximately 4.0–5.0 h.
Then, egg white is added and beaten to reach a desired consistency
for about 2.0 h. Finally, cardamom, almond and/or pistachio
kernels are carefully added and blended for 5.0 min. The resulting
flavored mixture is then poured into wood molds and massaged
using rolling pins, shaped into round or cube bite-size pieces and
kept in wooden boxes or small boxes lined with greaseproof paper
(Bahmani, Asemi, Taghizadeh, Khassaf, & Alizadeh, 2014; Dehghani
et al., 2016). It is produced in various morsel types such as
almonded, pistachioed, saffroned and coated with flour. Among the
available varieties of Gaz confection, the Gaz coated with flour is
more popular and characterized by delicious taste and longer shelf
life (Jahanmard, Azarani, Sharifi, & Esfandiari, 2014).
The main ingredients of Gaz confection including white wheat flour,
egg white, almond and pistachio kernels can be contaminated with
mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced
by Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium families during harvest
and storage (Duarte, Pena, & Lino, 2010). Aflatoxins (AFs) are
considered as the most important types of mycotoxins and mainly
produced by certain strains of Aspergillus such as Aspergillus
flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus nominus (Shahbazi,
Nikousefat, & Karami, 2017). AF contamination has been one of the
major safety concerns of agricultural products and other foodstuffs
during pre- and post-harvest conditions since it threats human
health, animal's productivity as well as international and national
trades of commodities (Pietri, Rastelli, Mulazzi, & Bertuzzi, 2012).
The natural occurrence of four major types of AFs including
aflatoxin B  (AFB ), aflatoxin B  (AFB ), aflatoxin G  (AFG ) and
1 1 2 2 1 1

aflatoxin G  (AFG ) in various food commodities (e.g. cereals, dried

2 2

fruits, nuts, some spices and egg) have been frequently pointed out
in recent years (Anfossi, Di Nardo, Giovannoli, Passini, & Baggiani,
2015; Blankson & Mill-Robertson, 2016; Çağındı & Gürhayta, 2016;
Herzallah, 2009; Iqbal, Asi, & Jinap, 2013; Pietri et al., 2012).
Among them, AFB  is the most carcinogenic, potent and teratogenic
1

class (Iqbal, Asi, Mehmood, Mumtaz, & Malik, 2017) and is

classified by the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC)
as human carcinogen (group 1) (International Agency for Research
on Cancer, 1993). Ochratoxin A (OTA) is also a secondary
metabolite produced by various species of Aspergillus (A.
carbonarius, A. niger and A. ochraceus) and Penicillium (P.
verruculosum, P. brevicompactum and P. crustosum) (Benites et
al., 2017). The susceptibility of important raw food commodities
including cereals and cereal products (Duarte et al., 2010), rice
(Kara, Ozbey, & Kabak, 2015; Zinedine et al., 2007), roasted and
instant coffees (Benites et al., 2017), dried fruits (Zinedine et al.,
2007), dried chestnuts (Pietri et al., 2012), dried eggplant and green
bell pepper (Çağındı & Gürhayta, 2016) to OTA in temperate
subtropical and tropical climates is also documented. Numerous
studies reported that OTA had carcinogenic, teratogenic,
nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, mutagenic and immunosuppressive
effects on human and animals (especially in pigs) (Aydin, Gunsen, &
Demirel, 2008; Benites et al., 2017). Due to toxic property of OTA
on several body systems, the IARC has designated OTA as a possible
carcinogenic compound to humans (International Agency for
Research on Cancer, 1993). Consequently, the food regulatory
authorities in the major parts of world have considered maximum
permissible limits (MPLs) for AFB  and OTA (Benites et al., 2017;
1

Hassan et al., 2018).

Although there are a few studies performed to evaluate the chemical
composition, texture and sensory and microbiological quality of Gaz
confection (Bahmani et al., 2014; Dehghani et al., 2016; Hojjati,
Speziale, Noguera‐Artiaga, & Carbonell‐Barrachina, 2015), there
have been no comprehensive published data regarding natural
occurrence of AFs and OTA in traditional Gaz samples obtained
from different parts of Iran. Therefore, the aim of the current study
was to investigate the presence of AFs (AFB , AFB , AFG  and AFG )
1 2 1 2

and OTA in a traditional Gaz confection and its ingredients

(almond, pistachio, egg and white wheat flour) collected from
Isfahan, Kerman and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces using high-
performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detectio