Research Publications (Food Safety)

Novel optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS)-based immunosensor formats were developed for label-free detection of Fusarium mycotoxin zearalenone (ZON). To achieve low limits of detection (LODs), both immobilised antibody-based (direct) and immobilised antigen-based (competitive) assay setups were applied.

The frequency of some major mycotoxins in marker tissues (liver and kidney) and in muscle tissue of slaughter pigs and cattle, obtained from registered abattoirs in South Africa, was studied. Samples of each three bovine carcasses were obtained from two abattoirs, and samples of three porcine carcasses were from a third abattoir. All samples originated from animals from subsistence farming.

Novel sensitive analytical agents that can be used for simple, affordable, and rapid analysis of mycotoxins are urgently needed in scientific practice, especially for the screening of perspective bio-destructors of the toxic contaminants.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi and represent one of the most common groups of food contaminants with low molecular weight. These toxins are considered common and can affect the food chain at various stages of production, harvesting, storage and processing. Zearalenone is one of over 400 detected mycotoxins and produced by fungi of the genus Fusarium; it mainly has estrogenic effects on various organisms.

Sows were fed naturally contaminated diets containing: (i) 100 ppb zearalenone (ZEN) one week before farrowing and during the lactation period (at 26 days), (ii) 100 ppb ZEN one week before farrowing and 300 ppb ZEN during the lactation period, or (iii) 300 ppb ZEN one week before farrowing and during the lactation period. All diets contained 250 ppb deoxynivalenol (DON).

Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin produced by various fungal species that commonly contaminate apples and other fruit products. PAT is associated with glutathione (GSH) depletion and oxidative stress. Cytoprotective and antioxidant (AO) enzymes limit toxic outcomes and confer resistance to oxidative stress by influencing the expression of cytoprotective genes.

Author(s): Fernanda Cosme, António Inês, Davide Silva, Luís Filipe-Ribeiro, Luís Abrunhosa, Fernando M. Nunes

A new protein microarray method for multiplex mycotoxin detection in parallel has been established on a stable TiO2-modified porous silicon (PSi) surface. A typical competitive immunoassay microarray protocol has been developed for simultaneous detection of multiplex mycotoxins including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) on the TiO2-PSi surface.

Author(s): Xiangfeng Zheng, Wanning Wei, Wenyuan Zhou, Huaxiang Li, Shengqi Rao, Lu Gao, Zhenquan Yang

Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination widely occurs in various feed ingredients and food crops, potentially posing a serious health threat to animals.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by species of Penicillium and Aspergillus that can contaminate products of plant origin that are used as animal feed. Through oral exposure, this mycotoxin primarily affects the chicken gastrointestinal system. The present study evaluated the intestinal toxic effects of OTA and the introduction of L-tryptophan to alleviate these effects in chickens.

In this study, eight food by-products were investigated as biosorbent approaches in removing mycotoxin load towards potential dietary inclusion in animal feed. Among these food-derived by-products, grape seed (GSM) and seabuckthorn (SBM) meals showed the most promising binding capacity for Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Zearalenone (ZEA), measured as percent of adsorbed mycotoxin.

The widespread use of Next-Generation Sequencing has opened a new era in the study of biological systems by significantly increasing the catalog of fungal genomes sequences and identifying gene clusters for known secondary metabolites as well as novel cryptic ones. However, most of these clusters still need to be examined in detail to completely understand the pathway steps and the regulation of the biosynthesis of metabolites.

Author(s): Guillaume Legrand Ngolong Ngea, Qiya Yang, William Tchabo, Raffaello Castoria, Xiaoyun Zhang, Hongyin Zhang

Author(s): Stoycho D. Stoev

An LC–MS/MS method coupled with a stable isotope dilution assay was established for the simultaneous detection of 17 mycotoxins and their derivatives (aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, and M2; fumonisins B1 and B2; ochratoxin A; zearalenone; zearalanone; α‐zearalanol; α‐zearalenol; T‐2 toxin; deoxynivalenol; deepoxy‐deoxynivalenol; and sterigmatocystin) in milk and dairy products.

Spices are imported worldwide mainly from developing countries with tropical and/or subtropical climate. Local conditions, such as high temperature, heavy rainfall, and humidity, promote fungal growth leading to increased occurrence of mycotoxins in spices. Moreover, the lack of good agricultural practice (GAP), good manufacturing practice (GMP), and good hygienic practice (GHP) in developing countries are of great concern.

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of trichothecenes—namely, nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetylated derivatives (3- and 15-acetyl-DON), T-2 and HT-2 toxins—and zearalenone (ZEN) in wheat, wheat flour, and wheat crackers was validated through a collaborative study involving 15 participants from 10 countries.

Author(s): Daniel López-Puertollano, Consuelo Agulló, Josep V. Mercader, Antonio Abad-Somovilla, Antonio Abad-Fuentes

Author(s): Celine Meerpoel, Arnau Vidal, Mirjana Andjelkovic, Marthe De Boevre, Emmanuel K. Tangni, Bart Huybrechts, Mathias Devreese, Siska Croubels, Sarah De Saeger

Author(s): Caiping Huang, Bangzhu Peng

Author(s): Josué Delgado, Juan J. Rondán, Félix Núñez, Alicia Rodríguez

The consumption of herbal-based supplements, which are believed to have beneficial effects on human health with no side effects, has become popular around the world and this trend is still increasing. Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn, commonly known as milk thistle (MT), is the most commonly studied herb associated with the treatment of liver diseases. The hepatoprotective effects of active substances in silymarin, with silybin being the main compound, have been demonstrated in many studies.

The inclusion of anti-mycotoxin additives (AMA) in the diet of production animals has been widely used to avoid mycotoxin exposure. In order to confirm the efficacy of such products in vivo, measurement of mycotoxins and/or their metabolites in biological fluids is preconized. This study aimed at determining the serological biomarkers of zearalenone (ZEN), α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol (β-ZAL) and zearalanone, to evaluate the efficacy of an AMA in beef heifers.

Mycotoxins are common in grains in sub-Saharan Africa and negatively impact human and animal health and production. This study assessed occurrences of mycotoxins, some plant, and bacterial metabolites in 16 dairy and 27 poultry feeds, and 24 feed ingredients from Machakos town, Kenya, in February and August 2019. We analyzed the samples using a validated multi-toxin liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.