The occurrence of mycotoxins and mycotoxigenic fungi in palm dates has not been thoroughly documented. The aims of the present study were to identify the mycobiota present in commercial date samples (n = 19), to determine the ability of the isolated fungi to produce mycotoxins, and to determine and quantify the presence of OTA in date fruits. The majority of products originated from Tunisia (n = 14) and Algeria (n = 3). The dominant fungal species were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tubingensis and Aspergillus flavus which were most frequently found in premium quality and organic produce, produced without chemical preservatives. OTA was found in only one sample at a concentration of 0.75 µg/kg, as determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Although this preliminary study did not find elevated levels of OTA, its presence in one out of 19 samples indicates that palm dates for human consumption require continuous and stringent control, in order to prevent contaminated produce from entering the market.

棕榈枣中真菌毒素和产真菌真菌的存在尚未完全记录。本研究的目的是确定商业枣样品中存在的真菌群 (n = 19)，确定分离的真菌产生真菌毒素的能力，并确定和量化枣果实中 OTA 的存在。大多数产品来自突尼斯（n = 14）和阿尔及利亚（n = 3）。优势菌种为黑曲霉、塔宾曲霉和黄曲霉。最常见于优质有机产品中，不含化学防腐剂。OTA 仅在一份样品中被发现，浓度为 0.75 µg/kg，通过 HPLC 和荧光检测确定。虽然这项初步研究没有发现 OTA 水平升高，但它在 19 个样本中的一个存在表明供人类食用的棕榈枣需要持续和严格的控制，以防止受污染的产品进入市场。