Research Publications (Food Safety)

Due to Earth’s changing climate, the ongoing and foreseeable spreading of mycotoxigenic Aspergillus species has increased the possibility of mycotoxin contamination in the feed and food production chain. These harmful mycotoxins have aroused serious health and economic problems since their first appearance. The most potent Aspergillus-derived mycotoxins include aflatoxins, ochratoxins, gliotoxin, fumonisins, sterigmatocystin, and patulin.

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic chemical metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. of the section Flavi. In Kenya, Aspergillus flavus is the most prevalent and has been associated with several acute and chronic aflatoxin outbreaks in the past. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence of A. flavus in soils from two agro-ecological regions with contrasting climatic conditions, aflatoxin contamination histories and cropping systems. Aspergillus spp.

Author(s): M. Alonso-Garrido, P. Tedeschi, A. Maietti, G. Font, N. Marchetti, L. Manyes

Aim To effectively make high‐quality silage in hot and humid area. Methods and Results The natural lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains CZ149, XH358, XH753, and XH761 isolated from corn and Napier grass were screened by the potential of low pH growth and high lactic acid production, and their effect on silage quality, aerobic stability and aflatoxin B1 production of whole‐crop corn were also studied in Sichuan, China.

Traditional medicinal herbs are widely used and may be contaminated with mycotoxigenic fungi during cultivation, harvesting, and storage, causing spoilage and mycotoxin production. We evaluated the predominant mycoflora and extent of mycotoxin contaminations in 48 contaminated samples of 13 different medicinal herbs. In total, 70.8% of herbs were slightly contaminated with aflatoxins (<5 μg kg−1).

In an earlier work on lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus, we found that reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration increased to high levels precisely at the start of the production phase (idiophase) and that these levels were sustained during all idiophase. Moreover, it was shown that ROS regulate lovastatin biosynthesis. ROS regulation has also been reported for aflatoxins.

Carcinogenic aflatoxins can be inactivated by smectites (e.g., montmorillonite) through adsorption and degradation. Proteins in gastric fluids can reduce smectite’s adsorption capacity for aflatoxins. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of smectites modified with organic nutrients in restricting the influence of proteins on aflatoxin adsorption.

Author(s): Zavala-Franco Anai, Arámbula-Villa Gerónimo, Ramírez-Noguera Patricia, Salazar Ana María, Sordo Monserrat, Marroquín-Cardona Alicia, Figueroa-Cárdenas Juan de Dios, Méndez-Albores Abraham

Fungal spoilage is an important issue for the food industry, leading to food sensory defects, food waste, economic losses and public health concern through the production of mycotoxins. Concomitantly, the search for safer natural products has gained importance since consumers began to look for less processed and chemically treated foods. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effect of seven strains of Lactobacillus plantarum.

Aflatoxin contamination has been causing great concern worldwide due to the major economic impact on crop production and their toxicological effects to human and animals. Contamination can occur in the field, during transportation, and also in storage. Post-harvest contamination usually derives from the pre-harvest infection of aflatoxigenic molds, especially aflatoxin-producing Aspergilli such as Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus.

BACKGROUND Pistachio fruits suffer from postharvest decay, caused by Aspergillus flavus, resulted in aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) accumulation in kernels, which is hazardous for human health due to its carcinogenic activity. In this study, the mechanism recruited by exogenous β‐aminobutyric acid (BABA) treatment for attenuating Aspergillus decay, minimizing aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) accumulation and maintaining nutritional quality in fresh in hull pistachio kernels, infected by A.

Author(s): F.R. Bertani, L. Businaro, L. Gambacorta, A. Mencattini, D. Brenda, D. Di Giuseppe, A. De Ninno, M. Solfrizzo, E. Martinelli, A. Gerardino

Author(s): Rodrigo C. Oliveira, Magda Carvajal-Moreno, Benedito Correa, Francisco Rojo-Callejas

Author(s): Saptarshi Mandal, Prolay Das

Author(s): James Ledo, Kasper A. Hettinga, Pieternel A. Luning

Aflatoxin (AF) B1 is a potent hepatotoxic, mutagenic, teratogenic mycotoxin and may cause immune suppression/dysregulation in humans and animals. Toxic effects of AFB1 on key mammalian immune cells (ie, leukocytes) needs to be mechanistically elucidated.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) mixed with various concentrations of Shirazi thyme (ST), sage, and cumin seed (CS) extracts separately. Then pistachio kernels (PK) contaminated with Aspergillus flavus (Af) were coated with each extract and the Af mycelium and generated aflatoxins measured after 3, 5, and 7‐days at 20°C.

Author(s): Mathieu Weil, Fabienne Remize, Noel Durand, Pascaline Alter, Mathilde Hoarau, Jean Christophe Meile

Author(s): Jovana Kos, Elizabet Janić Hajnal, Alexandra Malachová, David Steiner, Milena Stranska, Rudolf Krska, Birgit Poschmaier, Michael Sulyok

Author(s): Rouaa Daou, Charbel Afif, Karine Joubrane, Lydia rabbaa Khabbaz, Richard Maroun, Ali Ismail, André el Khoury

Author(s): Anand Kumar Chaudhari, Akanksha Singh, Vipin Kumar Singh, Abhishek Kumar Dwivedy, Somenath Das, Mayondi Grace Ramsdam, Mumtaz S Dkhar, Highland Kayang, Nawal Kishore Dubey

Author(s): Thu Nguyen, Steve Flint, Jon Palmer

The aflatoxin (AF) albumin adduct is often used as a biomarker for aflatoxin exposure in humans. An ELISA method previously used for aflatoxin serum albumin in human blood was used to analyse bovine serum samples (n = 22) collected from dairy cattle during an aflatoxin mitigation study in Kenya. Albumin adduct data were compared with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels in corresponding milk samples from these cows.

Author(s): Hamid Khaneghahi Abyaneh, Alireza Bahonar, Negin Noori, Hassan Yazdanpanah, Mohammad Hossein Shojaee AliAbadi