Research Publications (Food Safety)

The poultry industry in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is faced with feed insecurity, associated with high cost of feeds, and feed safety, associated with locally produced feeds often contaminated with mycotoxins. Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins (AFs), fumonisins (FBs), trichothecenes, and zearalenone (ZEN), are common contaminants of poultry feeds and feed ingredients from SSA.

This study aims to investigate the effects of zearalenone (ZEA) on the localizations and expressions of follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) in the ovaries of weaned gilts. Twenty 42-day-old weaned gilts were randomly allocated into two groups, and treated with a control diet and a ZEA-contaminated diet (ZEA 1.04 mg/kg), respectively.

Author(s): Zhiwei Liu, Qicheng Hua, Jin Wang, Zaoqing Liang, Zexuan Zhou, Xing Shen, Hongtao Lei, Xiangmei Li

Vascular toxicity induced by xenobiotics is associated with dysfunctions or damage to endothelial cells, changes in vascular permeability or dysregulation of the vascular redox state. The aim of this study was to determine whether per os administration of zearalenone (ZEN) influences selected hemostatic parameters in prepubertal gilts.

Author(s): Li Cao, Jie Zhao, Li Ma, Jiawen Chen, Jingru Xu, Sajid Ur Rahman, Shibin Feng, Yu Li, Jinjie Wu, Xichun Wang

The ripening process of dry-cured meat products is characterised by the development of fungi on the product’s surface. This population plays a beneficial role, but, uncontrolled moulds represent a health risk, since some of them may produce mycotoxins, such as ochratoxin A (OTA). The aim of the present work is to assess the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the detection of OTA-producing mould species on dry-cured ham-based agar.

Author(s): Liye Zhu, Haomiao Wang, Jieyu Yuhan, Boyang Zhang, Hongyu Li, Charles Asakiya, Kunlun Huang, Xiaoyun He, Wentao Xu

Author(s): Xiao-Yi Gao, Chong-Mei Xu, Xiao-Kun Zhang, Meng-Ran Li, Xiao-Ming Gong, Hong-Ming Yang, Jin-Bao Tang

Ligninolytic enzymes, including laccase, manganese peroxidase, and dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP), have attracted much attention in the degradation of mycotoxins. Among these enzymes, the possible degradation pathway of mycotoxins catalyzed by DyP is not yet clear. Herein, a DyP-encoding gene, StDyP, from Streptomyces thermocarboxydus 41291 was identified, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21/pG-Tf2.

Patulin (PAT) belongs to the family of food-borne mycotoxins. Our previous studies revealed that PAT caused cytotoxicity in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293). In the present research, we systematically explored the detailed mechanism of ROS production and ROS clearance in PAT-induced HEK293 cell apoptosis.

Author(s): Zhiming Guo, Ping Chen, Mingming Wang, Min Zuo, Hesham R. El-Seedi, Quansheng Chen, Jiyong Shi, Xiaobo Zou

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin that has several adverse effects on most mammalian species. However, the effects of ZEA on macrophage-mediated innate immunity during infection have not been examined. In the present study, bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were used to induce the activation of macrophages and evaluate the effects of ZEA on the inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated signaling pathways.

In accordance with the International Standard Organization ISO 17043, two proficiency tests (PTs) for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2); deoxynivalenol; fumonisins FB1, FB2, and B3; ochratoxin A, the T-2 toxin; and the HT-2 toxin were conducted in 2019 and 2020 using cornflakes and rusk flours that were prepared in house.

Mycotoxin contaminated feed has been associated with colic of horses caused by intestinal disorders. Whether such disease conditions alter the intestinal toxin metabolism and transfer across a compromised mucosal barrier is unknown. A screening approach was used to relate blood residue levels of DON, ZEN and their metabolites to the status of the horses (sick vs. healthy).

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widespread food contaminant, with exposure estimated to range from 0.64 to 17.79 ng/kg body weight (bw) for average consumers and from 2.40 to 51.69 ng/kg bw per day for high consumers. Current exposure estimates are, however, associated with considerable uncertainty.

Farm animals are frequently exposed to mycotoxins, which have many adverse effects on their health and become a significant food safety issue. Pigs are highly exposed and particularly susceptible to mycotoxins, which can cause many adverse effects. For the above reasons, an appropriate diagnostic tool is needed to monitor pig’ exposure to mycotoxins. The most popular tool is feed analysis, which has some disadvantages, e.g., it does not include individual exposure.

The ingestion of mycotoxins can cause adverse health effects and represents a severe health risk to humans and livestock. Even though several acute and chronic effects have been described, the effect on the gut metaproteome is scarcely known. For that reason, we used metaproteomics to evaluate the effect of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) on the gut microbiome of 15 weaned piglets.

Author(s): Xue Yang, Yanan Gao, Shengnan Huang, Chuanyou Su, Jiaqi Wang, Nan Zheng

In the last decades, the aquaculture industry has introduced plant-based ingredients as a source of protein in aquafeeds. This has led to mycotoxin contaminations, representing an ecological, health and economic problem. The aim of this study was to determine in the RTgill-W1 fish cell line the toxicity of fifteen mycotoxins of common occurrence in aquafeeds. To identify the most sensitive endpoint of toxicity, the triple assay was used.

Maize stalk rot caused by Fusarium species is one of the most important fungal diseases of maize throughout the world. The disease is responsible for considerable yield losses and has also been associated with mycotoxin contamination of the crop. In this study, a survey of maize stalk rot was performed in seven locations of Yunnan Province in China during the cropping season of 2015 and 2016. Based on morphological and molecular characteristics, 204 isolates belonging to 12 Fusarium spp.

Author(s): Yanyi Song, Yanan Wang, Yongpeng Guo, Yingying Qiao, Qiugang Ma, Cheng Ji, Lihong Zhao

Dietary copper supplementation in the feed of piglets generally exceeds 250–800 mg/kg, where a higher quantity (>250 mg/kg) can promote growth and improve feed conversion. Despite the reported positive effects, 90% of copper is excreted and can accumulate and pollute the soil. Data indicate that fungi have a biosorptive capacity for copper.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a kind of nonsteroidal mycotoxin that is considered a risk affecting the safety of human food and livestock feed that causes oxidative damages in mammalian cells. Selenomethionine (SeMet) was indicated to have antioxidant activity and received great interest in investigating the role of SeMet as a therapeutic agent in oxidation.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and Zearalenone (ZEN) are two commonly co-occurring mycotoxins produced by members of the genus Fusarium. As important food chain contaminants, these can adversely affect both human and animal health. Critically, as they are formed prior to harvesting, their occurrence cannot be eliminated during food production, leading to ongoing contamination challenges.

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. Abstract