Research Publications (Food Safety)

Aflatoxins (AFs) are some of the most agriculturally important and harmful mycotoxins. At least 20 AFs have been identified to this date. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the most potent fungal toxin, can cause toxicity in many species, including humans. AFs are produced by 22 species of Aspergillus section Flavi, 4 species of A. section Nidulantes, and 2 species of A. section Ochraceorosei. The most important and well-known AF-producing species of section Flavi are Aspergillus flavus, A.

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. Aflatoxin B1 is a mycotoxin that can be present in peanut‐based products, such as fried peanut biscuits, if Good Agricultural Practices are not respected. Impact of plant powder presence on aflatoxin B1 levels was investigated in contaminated peanut biscuits. It was observed that adding 2% of Moringa oleifera powder led to a significant (p < .05) reduction of the toxin after 3 hr of contact time in the dough before the frying step.

With the growing diversity and complexity of diet, humans are at risk of simultaneous exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), which are well-known contaminants in dairy and other agricultural products worldwide. The intestine represents the first barrier against external contaminants; however, evidence about the combined effect of AFB1 and AFM1 on intestinal integrity is lacking.

The removal of mycotoxins from contaminated feed using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been proposed as an inexpensive, safe, and promising mycotoxin decontamination strategy. In this study, viable and heat-inactivated L. acidophilus CIP 76.13T and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CIP 101027T cells were investigated for their ability to remove aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), and deoxynivalenol (DON) from MRS medium and PBS buffer over a 24 h period at 37 °C.

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. The research was designed to investigate the amount of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in animal feed (corn, wheat bran, peanut cake, soybean meal, and cotton seed meal) and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in raw milk of animals (cow milk, buffalo milk, goat milk and sheep milk), from Punjab, Pakistan collected March 2017 till February 2018. The samples were examined with liquid chromatography, with a fluorescence detector.

Author(s): Tiago Centeno Einloft, Patrícia Bolzan de Oliveira, Lauri Lourenço Radünz, Rafael Gomes Dionello

ABSTRACT

This review aimed to investigate the occurrence of mycotoxins, their toxic effects, and the detoxifying agents discussed in scientific publications that are related to pig production. Mycotoxins that are of major interest are aflatoxins and Fusarium toxins, such as deoxynivalenol and fumonisins, because of their elevated frequency at a global scale and high occurrence in corn, which is the main feedstuff in pig diets.

Mycotoxin contamination of feed does not only cut across food and feed value chains but compromises animal productivity and health, affecting farmers, traders and consumers alike.

Author(s): Bunyamin Tras, Hatice Eser Faki, Zeynep Ozdemir Kutahya, Emre Bahcivan, Burak Dik, Banu Bozkurt, Kamil Uney

Author(s): Kizito Nishimwe, Isaac Agbemafle, Manju B. Reddy, Kevin Keener, Dirk E. Maier

Author(s): Sabah Ali, Mariam Hassan, Tamer Essam, Marwa A. Ibrahim, Khaled Al-Amry

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Accepted Article. This study investigated the impacts of selected and broadband infrared (IR) wavelength treatments with tempering step on inactivation of aflatoxigenic molds and the treatments’ effects on head rice yield (HRY). Rough rice was treated with different IR intensities, product‐to‐emitter gaps, and heating durations. Afterward, the samples were tempered at 60°C for 4 h.

Author(s): Dan Xu, Mengqi Wei, Shurui Peng, Haizhen Mo, Lin Huang, Lishan Yao, Liangbin Hu

Author(s): Jianglin Xiong, Xiaofang Zhang, Hualin Zhou, Mengqi Lei, Yulan Liu, Chun Ye, Wenxuan Wu, Chong Wang, Lingying Wu, Yinsheng Qiu

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mycotoxin binders in reducing the adverse effects of co-occurring dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON) and ochratoxin A (OTA) on laying hens. Three hundred and sixty 26-week-old Roman laying hens were randomly allocated into four experimental groups with 10 replicates of nine birds each.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a byproduct mixture derived from grapeseed and sea buckthorn oil industry to mitigate the harmful damage produced by ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1 at hepatic and renal level in piglets after weaning. Forty cross-bred TOPIGS-40 hybrid piglets after weaning were assigned to three experimental groups (E1, E2, E3) and one control group (C), and fed with experimental diets for 30 days.

In this study, we present, for the first time in Spain, the levels of 19 mycotoxins in plasma samples from healthy and sick children (digestive, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders) (n = 79, aged 2–16). The samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (triple quadrupole) (LC-MS/MS). To detect Phase II metabolites, the samples were reanalyzed after pre-treatment with β-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase.

Mycotoxins are a prevalent problem for stored fruits, grains, and vegetables. Alternariol, aflatoxin, and patulin, produced by Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp., and Penicillium spp., are the major mycotoxins that negatively affect human and animal health and reduce fruit and produce quality. Control strategies for these toxins are varied, but one method that is increasing in interest is through host microbiome manipulation, mirroring a biocontrol approach.

Author(s): Mehmet Burak Ates, Mustafa Ortatatli

Dried fig is susceptible to infection by Aspergillus flavus, the major producer of the carcinogenic mycotoxins. This fruit may be contaminated by the fungus throughout the entire chain production, especially during natural sun-drying, post-harvest, industrial processing, storage, and fruit retailing. Correct management of such critical stages is necessary to prevent mould growth and mycotoxin accumulation, with temperature being one of the main factors associated with these problems.

Author(s): Amin Mousavi Khaneghah, Motahareh Moosavi, Sharaf S. Omar, Carlos A.F. Oliveira, Maryam Karimi-Dehkordi, Yadolah Fakhri, Elcin Huseyn, Amene Nematollahi, Mina Farahani, Anderson S. Sant'Ana

Author(s): Nikita Saha Turna, Felicia Wu

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a naturally occurring mycotoxin (fungal toxin) in maize and nuts, causes liver cancer and has been associated with other adverse health effects. Much less is known about the toxicity of its metabolite AFM1, which is secreted in the milk of mammals. Nonetheless, many nations have set regulatory limits for maximum allowable AFM1 in milk and other dairy products.

Author(s): Ming-Hsun Shen, Rakesh K. Singh