Research Publications (Food Safety)

Author(s): Adeola A. Ala, Grace O. Otitodun, Shekinat K. Ajao, Samuel I. Nwaubani, George P. Opit, Moses O. Ogundare, Jafar A. Braimah, Gbenga S. Busari, Grace I. Abel, Mobolaji O. Omobowale, Akhere E. Olenloa, Jonathan C. Ogwumike, Olumuyiwa R. Kolayemi, Samuel G. McNeill, Klein E. Ileleji

Author(s): Ekeanyanwu C. Lynda, Alisi S. Chinwe, R. Chukwuma Ekeanyanwu

Nuruk is a fermentation agent used to manufacture alcoholic beverages, which contains a variety of microorganisms. Most microorganisms in Nuruk are useful for the production of alcoholic beverages; however, Nuruk can be infected with Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxin (AF).

Mycotoxins’ exposure by inhalation and/or dermal contact can occur in different branches of industry especially where heavily dusty settings are present and the handling of dusty commodities is performed. This study aims to explore the possible contribution of the occupational exposure to aflatoxins by analysing urine samples for the presence of aflatoxins B1 and M1 and aflatoxin B1-N7-guanine adduct.

Culture methods supplemented with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique provide a rapid and simple tool for detecting levels of aflatoxins (AFs) produced by fungi. This study presents a robust method for simultaneous quantification of aflatoxin (AF) B1, B2, G1, and G2 levels in several fungal cultivation states: submerged shake culture, liquid slant culture, and solid-state culture.

Standard solutions of mycotoxins prepared in RP HPLC solvents from neat standards are usually used for analytical method development. Multi-mycotoxin HPLC-MS/MS methods necessitate stability estimation for the wide spectrum of fungal metabolites. The stability of individual diluted stock standard solutions of mycotoxins in RP-HPLC solvents and multi-analyte HPLC-MS/MS calibrants was evaluated under standard storage and analysis conditions.

Mycotoxin exposure from food occurs globally but is more common in hot humid environments, especially in low-income settings, and might affect pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to synthesize the evidence from epidemiological studies on the relationship between maternal or fetal exposure to different mycotoxins and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Author(s): Han Zhongzh, Deng Limiao

Effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on lipid peroxidation and glutathione system were investigated in chicken liver. In a three-week feeding trial, different doses (<1.0 μg/kg (control diet), 17.0 µg (diet A1), 92.0 µg (diet A2), and 182.0 µg (diet A3) AFB1 kg/feed) were used.

Author(s): Saeed Akhtar, Muhammad Riaz, Iqra Naeem, Yun Yun Gong, Amir Ismail, Majid Hussain, Kashif Akram

BACKGROUND Contamination of foods or environments by fungi, especially those resistant to conventional fungicides or drugs, represents a hazard to human health. The objective of this study is to identify safe, natural antifungal agents that can rapidly remove fungal pathogens or contaminants from food and/or environmental sources. RESULTS Fifteen antifungal compounds (nine benzo derivatives as candidates; six conventional fungicides as references) were investigated.

The liquid-phase extraction combined with newly green extraction solvent named deep eutectic solvent has been widely used. In this work, a simple and fast analytical method based on deep eutectic solvent (DES) was developed for simultaneous determination of aflatoxin G1, B1, G2, and B2 in rice samples.

Fermented pastes are some of the most popular traditional products in China. Many studies reported a strong possibility that fermented pastes promote exposure to mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and cereulide, which were proven to be carcinogenic and neurotoxic to humans. The primary mechanism of pathogenicity is by inhibiting protein synthesis and inducing oxidative stress using cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is highly carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. Accordingly, sensitive, rapid and cost-effective techniques for detection of AFB1 is in urgent demand for food safety and the health of consumers. In this review, we report the current state of immunoassay formats and development, mainly based on nanomaterials for determination of AFB1. Following an introduction of the field, the microplate-, membrane- and microelectrode-based immunoassays are described.

Since their discovery in the 1960s, aflatoxins were found to have a considerable impact on the health of humans and animals as well as the country’s economy and international trade. Aflatoxins are often found in nuts, cereals and animal feeds, which has a significant danger to the food industry. Over the years, several steps have been undertaken worldwide to minimise their contamination in crops and their exposure to humans and animals.

Simultaneous detection technology has become a hot topic in analytical chemistry; however, very few reports on how to simultaneously detect small molecular contaminants and microorganisms have been in place. Aflatoxins are a group of highly toxic and carcinogenic compounds, which are produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus from section Flavi responsible for aflatoxin accumulation in stored cereals.

Author(s): Felix Y.H. Kutsanedzie, Akwasi A. Agyekum, Viswadevarayalu Annavaram, Quansheng Chen

Aspergillus flavus is one of the most opportunistic pathogens invading many important oilseed crops and foodstuffs with such toxic secondary metabolites as aflatoxin (AF) and Cyclopiazonic acid. We previously used the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine to treat with an AF-producing A. flavus A133 strain, and isolated a mutant (NT) of A. flavus, which displayed impaired abilities of AF biosynthesis and fungal development.

Author(s): Tuan Huu Do, Son Cao Tran, Chi Dinh Le, Binh Thi Ha Nguyen, Thao Thi Phuong Le, Hao Thi Hong Le, Tuyen Danh Le, Thu Hung Thai-Nguyen

As the most carcinogenic, toxic, and economically costly mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is primarily biosynthesized by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin biosynthesis is related to oxidative stress and functions as a second line of defense from excessive reactive oxygen species. Here, we find that ethanol can inhibit fungal growth and AFB1 production by A. flavus in a dose-dependent manner.

Aflatoxins (AF) are highly toxic compounds produced by Aspergillus section Flavi. They spoil food crops and present a serious global health hazard to humans and livestock. The aim of this study was to examine the phylogenetic relationships among aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic Aspergillus isolates.

Despite aflatoxins contamination in feedstuff is a well‐known problem, and hence these residues are controlled in poultry products, there are scarce information regarding the presence of these toxic substances in aquaculture fish, facilities which use several feedstuff for fish breeding.

Aspergillus flavus is an ascomycete fungus that infects and contaminates corn, peanuts, cottonseed, and treenuts with acutely toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins. The ecological function of aflatoxin production is not well understood; though not phytotoxic, aflatoxin may be involved in resisting oxidative stress responses from infection or drought stress in plants.

Ligninolytic enzymes from white-rot fungi, such as laccase (Lac) and Mn-peroxidase (MnP), are able to degrade aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the most harmful among the known mycotoxins. The high cost of purification of these enzymes has limited their implementation into practical technologies. Every year, tons of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) are produced as a by-product of edible mushroom cultivation, such as Pleurotus spp., and disposed at a cost for farmers.

Author(s): Silu Hou, Jingjiao Ma, Yuqiang Cheng, Hengan Wang, Jianhe Sun, Yaxian Yan