Research Publications (Food Safety)

Background Dairy farming feed can be contaminated with mycotoxins, affecting animals' health and milk quality. Dairy farming is also prone to occupational exposure to mycotoxins, and feed is recognized as a source of contamination in the workplace. An exploratory study was developed in a dairy farm located in Portugal intending to assess the mycotoxins present in the feed.

Author(s): Samuel Alemayehu, Fetien Abay, Kiros Meles Ayimut, Dereje Assefa, Alemayehu Chala, Rizana Mahroof, Jagger Harvey, Bhadriraju Subramanyam

Author(s): Jalila Ben Salah-Abbès, Hela Belgacem, Khawla Ezzdini, Mosaad A. Abdel-Wahhab, Samir Abbès

Fumonisins are toxic secondary metabolites produced mainly by Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum. Their toxicity was evaluated, and health-based guidance values established on the basis of both Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendations.

The ecological conditions during the ripening of dry-cured ham favour the development of moulds on its surface, being frequently the presence of Penicillium nordicum, a producer of ochratoxin A (OTA). Biocontrol using moulds and yeasts usually found in dry-cured ham is a promising strategy to minimize this hazard.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain filamentous fungi, causing human and animal health issues upon the ingestion of contaminated food and feed. Among the safest approaches to the control of mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxin detoxification is the application of microbial biocontrol agents. Burkholderia cepacia is known for producing metabolites active against a broad number of pathogenic fungi.

Author(s): Ali Heshmati, Sabah Ghadimi, Akram Ranjbar, Amin Mousavi Khaneghah

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widespread mycotoxin and induces liver inflammation to human and various species of animals. The intestinal microbiota has critical importance in liver inflammation; however, it remains...

Author(s): Dimitrios Drakopoulos, Andreas Kägi, Alejandro Gimeno, Johan Six, Eveline Jenny, Hans-Rudolf Forrer, Tomke Musa, Giuseppe Meca, Susanne Vogelgsang

Aspergillus ochraceus is reported to be the major contributor of ochratoxin A (OTA), classified as one of the possible human carcinogen (group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The heterotrimeric velvet complex proteins, LaeA/VeA/VelB, have been most studied in fungi to clarify the relation between light-dependent morphology and secondary metabolism. To explore possible genetic targets to control OTA contamination, we have identified laeA, veA, and velB in A. ochraceus.

Author(s): Salma Ouhibi, Arnau Vidal, Carla Martins, Ridha Gali, Abderrazzek Hedhili, Sarah De Saeger, Marthe De Boevre

Author(s): Manuela Zadravec, Nada Vahčić, Dragan Brnić, Ksenija Markov, Jadranka Frece, Relja Beck, Tina Lešić, Jelka Pleadin

Mycotoxins presence was evaluated in animal feed marketed in Tunisia for the first time ever.

Fusarium verticillioides is a fungal pathogen that is responsible for maize ear rot and stalk rot diseases worldwide. The fungus also produces carcinogenic mycotoxins, fumonisins, on infested maize. Unfortunately, we still lack clear understanding of how the pathogen responds to host and environmental stimuli to trigger fumonisin biosynthesis.

Author(s): Paschalitsa Tryfinopoulou, Antonia Chourdaki, George-John E. Nychas, Efstathios Z. Panagou

Apart from causing serious yield losses, various kinds of mycotoxins may be accumulated in plant tissues infected by Fusarium strains. Fusarium mycotoxin contamination is one of the most important concerns in the food safety field nowadays. However, limited information on the causal agents, etiology, and mycotoxin production of this disease is available on pepper in China.

Consumption of fruit juice is becoming trendy for consumers seeking freshness and high vitamin and low caloric intake. Mycotoxigenic moulds may infect fruits during crop growth, harvest, and storage leading to mycotoxin production. Many mycotoxins are resistant to food processing, which make their presence in the final juice product very likely expected.

Author(s): Andrea Tarazona, Eva M. Mateo, José V. Gómez, David Romera, Fernando Mateo

Author(s): Qun Cheng, Shuzhen Jiang, Libo Huang, Yuxi Wang, Weiren Yang, Zaibin Yang, Jinshan Ge

Fluorescent pseudomonads colonizing wheat ears have a high antagonistic potential against phytopathogenic fungi. To check this hypothesis, the bacterial antagonist Pseudomonas simiae 9 rif+/kan+ was spray-inoculated onto the ears of winter wheat in a locally demarcated experimental field plot. Fusarium and Alternaria fungi naturally occurring on the ears and the formation of their mycotoxins in the ripe grains were investigated.

The public assumes that some foods, such as milk and ground beef from cattle receiving steroidal implants, are associated with estrogenic hormones, while other foods are presumed “safe” or nonestrogenic.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin and constitutes a potential health threat to humans and livestock. This study aimed to explore the potential of albite modified by the cationic surfactant cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as ZEN adsorbent. The organoalbite (OA) was characterized by SEM analysis, XRD analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and BET gas sorption measurement.

Author(s): Qinghua Wu, Wenda Wu, Kamil Kuca

The impact of zearalenone (ZEN) on female reproduction remains an issue, since its effects may differ among exposed cell types. Besides the use of decontaminants in animal diet, other approaches should be considered to minimise ZEN effects after exposure. Since the first organ in contact with ZEN is the gastrointestinal tract, we hypothesise that products of microbiota metabolism may play a role in ZEN detoxification.