Research Publications (Food Safety)

Author(s): Wanjiku N. Gichohi-Wainaina, Nelson Kumwenda, Rodah Zulu, Justice Munthali, Patrick Okori

Mycotoxigenic fungi and their toxins are a global concern, causing huge economic and health impacts in developing countries such as Ethiopia, where the mycotoxin control system is inadequate. This work aimed to review the occurrences of agriculturally essential fungi such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium and their major mycotoxins in Ethiopian food/feedstuffs.

Author(s): Yingchao Zhang, Peng Wang, Qing Kong, Peter J. Cotty

A two-analyte immunochromatographic strip (immunostrip) was developed for the simultaneous detection of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and chloramphenicol (CAP) in milk. Protein conjugates (AFM1-ovalbumin (OVA) and CAP-OVA) and goat anti-rabbit IgG were respectively drawn on nitrocellulose membrane as two test lines (T1 and T2) and a control line (C).

Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites that occur in human foods and animal feeds, potentially threatening human and animal health. The intestine is considered as the first barrier against these external contaminants, and it consists of interconnected physical, chemical, immunological, and microbial barriers.

Author(s): Junmin Ji, Wenlei Xie

Maize is a staple for billions across the globe. However, in tropical and sub-tropical regions, maize is frequently contaminated with aflatoxins by Aspergillus section Flavi fungi. There is an ongoing search for sources of aflatoxin resistance in maize to reduce continuous exposures of human populations to those dangerous mycotoxins. Large variability in susceptibility to aflatoxin contamination exists within maize germplasm.

by Pavel Horky, Eva Venusova, Tereza Aulichova, Andrea Ridoskova, Jiri Skladanka, Sylvie Skalickova

by Yuji Ishida, Chihiro Yamasaki, Hiroko Iwanari, Hisahiko Yamashita, Yuko Ogawa, Ami Yanagi, Suzue Furukawa, Yuha Kojima, Kazuaki Chayama, Junichi Kamiie, Chise Tateno

Preharvest mycotoxin contamination of field-grown crops is influenced not only by the host genotype, but also by inoculum load, insect pressure and their confounding interactions with seasonal weather. In two different field trials, we observed a preference in the natural infestation of corn earworm (CEW; Helicoverpa zea Boddie) to specific maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes and investigated this observation.

Author(s): Shahzad Zafar Iqbal, Amna Mumtaz, Zahid Mahmood, Muhammad Waqas, Abdul Ghaffar, Amir Ismail, Wajeeha Pervaiz

Author(s): Abha Cherkani-Hassani, Imane Ghanname, Abdellah Zinedine, Hassan Sefrioui, Zineb Qmichou, Nezha Mouane

The aim of this study was to assess the contamination of breast milk by aflatoxin M1 among nursing mothers from Rabat, Morocco, and to explore its association with several maternal parameters and dietary habits. In addition, the health risk assessment of the newborns by the estimation of the daily intake.

Author(s): Fateme Samiee, Ava Kharazi, Jomana Elaridi, Masoumeh Taravati Javad, Mostafa Leili

Elevated serum lactate concentration has been used to predict the risk of fatality in various disease states in acutely ill patients or poisoning with different chemicals. However, its utility in predicting disease progression during acute aflatoxicosis has not been investigated.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most commonly found mycotoxin in corn, which is highly toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic for the health of humans and animals. In order to reduce the AFB1 in corn, corn kernels were processed with Water-assisted Microwaves Treatment (WMT) and the feasibility of WMT processing on AFB1 reduction and its effects on corn quality were analyzed.

Maize is mainly affected by two fungal pathogens, Fusarium verticillioides and Aspergillus flavus, causing Fusarium ear rot (FER) and Aspergillus ear rot (AER), respectively. Both fungi are of concern to stakeholders as they affect crop yield and quality, contaminating maize grains with the mycotoxins fumonisins and aflatoxins. The easiest strategy to prevent pre-harvest contamination by F. verticillioides and A.

Contamination of food and feed items with mycotoxins causes extensive economic damage. It is therefore important to explore environmentally friendly approaches to manage these toxins with less drawbacks. Phytochemicals can provide a safe alternative to synthetic chemicals. This study was designed to investigate the detoxification potential of water-based extracts of Acacia nilotica against aflatoxins B1 and B2.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary AFB1 on growth performance, health, intestinal microbiota communities and AFB1 tissue residues of turbot and evaluate the mitigation efficacy of yeast cell wall extract, Mycosorb® (YCWE) toward AFB1 contaminated dietary treatments.

PEF treatment of sesame seeds provides significant reduction on aflatoxin producing fungi, Aspergillus paraciticus, as well as decomposition of aflatoxins with reduced mutagenity with preservation of physical properties and reduced acid number and peroxide value. Abstract Seed processing technologies are essential for seed safety and functionality through protection of physicochemical quality, pathogen inactivation, aflatoxin detoxification and alleviation of mutagenicity.

Author(s): Miao Li, Haiming Wang, Jiadi Sun, Jian Ji, Yongli Ye, Xin Lu, Yinzhi Zhang, Xiulan Sun

There are limited data on exposure to mycotoxins in Pakistan. Here, we measured exposure to deoxynivalenol (DON), a common contaminant of wheat, and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a known contaminant of rice, using biomarkers of exposure.

by Yanan Li, Ren Wang, Zhengxing Chen, Xiuping Zhao, Xiaohu Luo, Li Wang, Yongfu Li, Fei Teng

Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus produce carcinogenic aflatoxins during crop infection, with extensive variations in production among isolates, ranging from atoxigenic to highly toxigenic. Here, we report draft genome sequences of one A. parasiticus isolate and nine A. flavus isolates from field environments for use in comparative, functional, and phylogenetic studies.

Author(s): Nail Altunay, Konstantin P. Katin, Nevcihan Gürsoy, Adil Elik, Selçuk Şimşek, Savaş Kaya

BACKGROUND Corn, a main feed ingredient in the livestock industry, is one of the most susceptible crops to fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination. Livestock feeding on aflatoxin‐contaminated feed have been shown to cause feed refusal, and decreased growth rate, milk production and feed efficiency. In poultry, aflatoxin poisoning causes weight loss, poor feed efficiency, and reduced egg production and egg weight.