Research Publications (Food Safety)

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the most common sites for biliary tract cancers. It has a worldwide distribution being endemic in South America and Southern Asia. These high GBC rates have previously been linked to the determinants of health such as nutrition, genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a human carcinogen, is suggested to be involved with GBC development.

The present study was designed to determine the efficacy of a novel multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA) containing modified zeolite (Clinoptilolite), Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls and silymarin against the deleterious effects of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in broiler chicks.

Author(s): Yanpo Yao, Suyan Gao, Xiaoxia Ding, Peiwu Li, Qi Zhang

Author(s): Yingli Liu, Huijia Mao, Kalekristos Woldemariam Yohannes, Zhen Wan, Yating Cao, Thierry Tron, Junfang Lin, Yixuan Jiang, Hongyan Li, Jing Wang

Author(s): Francis Aboagye-Nuamah, Charles Kodia Kwoseh, Dirk E. Maier

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Accepted Article. The efficiency of a hand sorting process on aflatoxins (AFs) and sterigmatocystin (STC) occurrence in hazelnuts was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence and ultraviolet detection (HPLC-FLD-UV) after post-column derivatization. Raw hazelnut kernel samples were obtained from five different hazelnut processing plants in Turkey.

Author(s): Letícia.A. Apolinário, Leandra.N.Z. Ramalho, Motahareh Hashemi Moosavi, Alessandra.V. Jager, Marlei.J. Augusto, Maurício.R. Trotta, Tânia Petta, Amin Mousavi Khaneghah, Carlos.A.F. Oliveira, Fernando.S. Ramalho

The objective of this work was to evaluate the aflatoxins residues on tissues of Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) fish chronically exposed to dietary aflatoxins, also evaluating the effects on fish performance. Aflatoxins were incorporated into the extruded fish feed and the concentrations were confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Grain contamination by mycotoxins can cause significantly negative health and economic impact in areas where poor agricultural practices and food insecurity is prevalent. This study was conducted to investigate the current postharvest practices and aflatoxin contamination awareness level amongst maize producers in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia.

Mycotoxins are important food contaminants posing a significant threat to food and feed safety and public health. Among the mycotoxins, aflatoxins are deemed to be a more significant contaminant due to their potent carcinogenic, and hepatotoxic effects, and their levels are highly regulated in the international food trade. Phytochemicals are considered a major source of natural antifungal agents.

The present study was conducted to investigate the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) liver toxicity and gut histomorphometry after gut borne-Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation to AFB1-contaminated piglet diets. Thirty-two male mixed-breed piglets (weaned at 21 days old) were housed in individual pens and allowed to acclimate for 7 days. Animals were randomly assigned to four treatments of 22 days: T1 – low AFB1 levels diet (L, 31.6 μg/kg); T2 – L + S.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to feed contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the performance and health of tambaqui fingerlings.

Author(s): Khurram Muaz, Muhammad Riaz, Roice Eliana Rosim, Saeed Akhtar, Carlos Humberto Corassin, Bruna Leonel Gonçalves, Carlos Augusto Fernandes Oliveira

Aflatoxins seriously threaten the health of humans and animals due to their potential carcinogenic properties. Enzymatic degradation approach is an effective and environmentally friendly alternative that involves changing the structure of aflatoxins. In this study, Trametes versicolor aflatoxin B1-degrading enzyme gene (TV-AFB1D) was integrated into the genome of Pichia pastoris GS115 by homologous recombination approach. The recombinant TV-AFB1D was expressed in engineering P.

Aflatoxin B1 is a potent carcinogen produced by Aspergillus flavus, mainly during grain storage. As pre-harvest methods are insufficient to avoid mycotoxin presence during storage, diverse curative techniques are being investigated for the inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin detoxification. Streptomyces spp. represent an alternative as they are a promising source of detoxifying enzymes.

Author(s): Kaat Neckermann, Gregor Claus, Siegrid De Baere, Gunther Antonissen, Sarah Lebrun, Céline Gemmi, Bernard Taminiau, Caroline Douny, Marie-Louise Scippo, Dian Schatzmayr, James Gathumbi, Silvio Uhlig, Siska Croubels, Véronique Delcenserie

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, Volume 20, Issue 3, Page 2332-2381, May 2021. Aflatoxins represent a global public health and economic concern as they are responsible for significant adverse health and economic issues affecting consumers and farmers worldwide. Produced by fungal species from the Aspergillus genus, aflatoxins are a toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic group of fungal metabolites that routinely contaminate food and agricultural products.

Author(s): Clémence Budin, Hai-Yen Man, Carine Al-Ayoubi, Sylvie Puel, Barbara M.A. van Vugt-Lussenburg, Abraham Brouwer, Isabelle P. Oswald, Bart van der Burg, Laura Soler

Biomonitoring of biological samples arises as an effective tool to evaluate the exposure to mycotoxins in the population. Owing to the wide range of advantages, there is a growing interest in the use of non- and minimally invasive alternative sampling strategies, such as dried blood spot sampling or volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS). A VAMS-based multi-mycotoxin method was developed and validated for 24 different mycotoxins.

Author(s): Shiqi Li, Xiaoying Zhong, Yanan Xu, Yunquan Zheng, Xianai Shi, Feng Li, Shaobin Guo, Jianmin Yang

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi that contaminate food products such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, beverages, and other agricultural commodities. Their occurrence in the food chain, especially in beverages, can pose a serious risk to human health, due to their toxicity, even at low concentrations.

International Journal of Food Science & Technology, Accepted Article. Chilli is one of valuable spice commercialized globally, added as condiments in various cuisines and is easily susceptible to Aflatoxins contamination (produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus) during pre and post‐harvesting stages. The important factors like temperature, moisture content and humidity affect the growth of fungi producing Aflatoxins.

International Journal of Food Science & Technology, Accepted Article. The aflatoxin contamination of chilli pepper grown and marketed in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state was assessed. Chilli samples were collected at different stages of the value chain and were quantified using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test.

Author(s): Ola A.A. Khalil, Ali A. Hammad, Ahmed Salem Sebaei