The occurrence, concentration, and human health risk assessment of deoxynivalenol in beer: a global systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study examined the concentration and occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON) in beer and calculated the health risk to consumers using the target hazard quotient (THQ). The analysis considered the country and type of DON subgroups. Searches were performed in databases including Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed from 1 January 2000, to 20 February 2024. Our study included 26 papers with 154 data reports. The rank order of DON types based on occurrence was DON (67.38%) > DON-3-Glc (61.45%) > DON-15-Ac (3.43%) > DON-3-Ac (2.58%). Based on concentration, DON (14.658 µg L⁻¹) > DON-3-Glc (14.190 µg L-1) > DON-15-Ac (13.023 µg L⁻¹) > DON-3-Ac (7.550 µg L⁻¹). The highest concentrations of DON, DON-3-Ac, DON-15-Ac, and DON-3-Glc in beer were observed in Cameroon (227.797 µg L⁻¹), Nigeria (27.000 µg L⁻¹), Nigeria (30.000 µg L⁻¹), and the Czech Republic (44.050 µg L⁻¹), respectively. The meta-regression reveals a significant decrease in the occurrence of DON in beer over time (C: -0.014; p-value = 0.016). Despite the higher health risk in Cameroon, Brazil, and Latvia compared to other countries, the health risk assessment revealed no significant non-carcinogenic risk for consumers.