Category Archives: Fusarium Toxin

RASFF Alert – Mycotoxin T-2/HT-2 – Wheat Flour

Posted on June 28, 2019 by | Leave a comment

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RASFF – T-2 toxin (106.7 µg/kg – ppb) and HT-2 toxin (346 µg/kg – ppb) in wheat flour from Belgium in Belgium

Abstract

T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 (HT2) toxin are trichothecenes, which form part of the group of Fusarium mycotoxins. Food and feed samples used to estimate human dietary and animal exposure were reported either as the individual results for T2 and/or, HT2, and/or as the sum of the two. The highest concentrations were reported in oats and oat-containing commodities. Very high levels were reported in a small number of data on specific plant- and herb-based dietary supplements. In humans, the mean chronic dietary exposure to the sum of T2 and HT2 was highest in‘Toddlers’and‘Infants’, with maximum upper bound (UB) estimates of 64.8 and 62.9 ng/kg body weight (bw) per day, respectively.The 95th percentile dietary exposure was highest in‘Infants’with a maximum UB estimate of 146 ng/kgbw per day. UB estimations were on average four fold higher than lower bound (LB) estimations. Average acute exposure ranged from a minimum of 13.4 ng/kg bw per day, estimated in‘Elderly’,up to a maximum of 64.7 ng/kg bw per day estimated in‘Toddlers’. The highest 95th percentile acute dietary exposure was estimated for a dietary survey within the age class‘Infants’(170 ng/kg bw per day).Overall, among processed foods the main contributors were cereal flakes,fine bakery wares and, for acute exposure, also bread and rolls. In the elderly and very elderly, dietary supplements made an important contribution. Exposure to the sum of T2 and HT2 in farm and companion animals varied according to the animal species. Exposures considering mean concentration scenarios varied between 0.03–0.08 (LB–UB)lg/kg bw per day in beef cattle and 1.13–1.47lg/kg bw per day in milking goats. Forhigh concentration scenarios, exposures varied between 0.12–0.16lg/kg bw per day and 2.37–2.58lg/kg bw per day in the same species. In the absence of data, potential modified form were not included.

©2017 European Food Safety Authority.EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority

 

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Toxin, Fusarium Toxin, HT-2, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Moulds, Mycotoxin, RASFF, T-2, Toxin, Uncategorized

Research – Evaluation of wheat kernels infected by fungi of the genus Fusarium based on morphological features

Posted on January 18, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Abstract

The aim of this study was to propose a nondestructive method for evaluating wheat kernels infected by fungi of the genus Fusarium based on the morphological features of kernels and for distinguishing infected kernels from healthy kernels. Images were acquired with a flatbed scanner to determine 59 geometric parameters (linear dimensions and shape factors). Wheat kernels were classified as infected or healthy with the use of Decision trees, Rules, Bayes, Lazy, Meta, and Functions classifiers in WEKA 3.9 software. The classification accuracy of the model based on 59 attributes ranged from 58.12% to 73.37%. The selection of the best attributes shortened the time of the analysis and improved classification results. Linear Forward Selection and MLP classifiers were characterized by the highest classification accuracy.

Practical applications

The infection of cereal grains by fungi of the genus Fusarium is a food security challenge that can compromise the quantity and quality of yields in many agricultural regions. Selected fungi produce mycotoxins with carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and immunotoxic effects for humans and animals. In this study, a nondestructive method was applied to evaluate wheat kernels infected by fungi of the genus Fusarium based on the morphological features of kernels and to distinguish infected kernels from healthy kernels. The proposed method can be used for rapid, inexpensive, and effective detection of fungal infections in cereal grain.

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Posted in Food Toxin, Fusarium Toxin, Mycotoxin, Uncategorized

Research – 2017 BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey Results

Posted on December 29, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Biomin

The latest edition of the annual survey, covering 18757 agricultural commodity samples from 72 countries with over 73000 analyses, highlights the main dangers from the most important mycotoxins in primary feedstuffs and their potential risk to livestock animal production.

The survey results provide an insight on the incidence of aflatoxins (Afla), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), fumonisins (FUM) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in the primary components used for feed which include corn (maize), wheat, barley, rice, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, dried distillers grains (DDGS) and silage, among others.

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Posted in deoxynivalenol, DON, Food Toxin, Fumonsins, Fusarium Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Toxin, Uncategorized, Zearalenone

Research – Summer 2018: The perfect storm of mycotoxins

Posted on December 24, 2018 by | Leave a comment

All About Feed

Harvest samples from across Europe show high levels of mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON), fusaric acid and fumonisin.

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Posted in DON, Fumonsins, Fusarium Toxin, Mycotoxin, Uncategorized

Research – Assessment of mycotoxins co‐occurrence in Italian dried figs and in dried figs‐based products

Posted on December 10, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Abstract

The possible contamination by aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisin B1 (FB1), fusaric acid (FA), and beauvericin (BEA), was investigated in 55 samples of dried figs and dried figs‐based products purchased from the South Italy (Calabria) market. A total of 41 samples showed contamination by at least one of the mycotoxins investigated. Aflatoxin B1 was found in six samples (0.19 — 8.41 μg/kg) total aflatoxins were found in 13 samples (0.5–17.12 μg/kg), OTA was found in 21 samples (<LOQ—158.58 μg/kg), FB1 was found in eight samples (153.81–5,412.96 μg/kg), BEA was found in 12 samples (<LOQ—5,708.49 μg/kg), and FA was found in 28 samples (<LOQ—74,520.20 μg/kg). The analyzed samples were contaminated with one (41.8%), two (7.3%), three (5.5%), four (10.9%), and five (5.5%) mycotoxins. To the best of our knowledge, the incidence of contamination by FA and BEA has been shown for the first time in dried figs.

Practical applications

The present work was focused on mycotoxin mixtures contamination levels of dried figs and dried figs‐based products. It is known that the co‐occurrence of mycotoxins leads to additive or synergistic effects. For some analyzed samples the AFB1, aflatoxins, and ochratoxin A (OTA) levels exceed the European Union countries legal limit. In addition, the simultaneous presence of FB1, FA, and BEA can be a potential threat to the health of consumers. Although different studies examined AFs, OTA, and Fusarium toxins as single mycotoxins in dried figs, to our knowledge, the co‐occurrence of AFs, OTA, FB1, FA, and BEA in dried figs and in dried figs‐based products samples has not been reported previously. Therefore, to prevent mycotoxins contamination, the employment of good practices in all the processing steps is necessary. Furthermore, the quality control of the ingredients used in figs preparations (spices, other dried fruits, cocoa, etc.), usually not adequately, is essential. Finally, it is of importance to establish more stringent rules to ensure food safety, even if no legal limit was still set for Fusarium toxins in dried fruit.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, food contamination, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Fusarium Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Toxin, Uncategorized

Research – Mycotoxins – Mycotoxins Will Pose Greater Threat to Feed Safety, Hindering Industry Productivity and Sustainability

Posted on September 28, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Biomin

Mycotoxins that contaminate crops and animal feed have been recognized as a risk to farm animals, and account for considerable economic costs to the feed and food industries. Their widespread occurrence and related threat has been documented consistently in the BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey.

Dangers to feed safety, sustainability

“Mycotoxins are among the most important safety risks for the future livestock feed industry and security of the feed supply chain,” stated Dr Gunther Antonissen of Ghent University in Belgium.

Fungi-produced mycotoxins endanger more than feed safety and security. They also hamper productivity, adding additional cost to the feed and food industry while also affecting the environment.

“Due to their negative effects on farm animal productivity and health, mycotoxins prevent the animal protein industry from achieving an efficient and sustainable use of natural resources,” observed Dr. Wulf-Dieter Moll of the BIOMIN Research Center.

Harmful mycotoxins do not have to contaminate feed in high concentrations to make their negative effects felt in farm animals. “At present, clinical mycotoxicosis caused by high doses is rare,” explained Dr Antonissen.

“However, also the ingestion of low to moderate levels of these toxins cause an array of metabolic, physiologic and immunologic disturbances, with the gastrointestinal tract as one of the major target organs,” he added.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Biotoxin, Food Toxin, Fusarium Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Saitoxin, Tetrodotoxin, Toxin, Uncategorized

Research – Assessment of mycotoxins co‐occurrence in Italian dried figs and in dried figs‐based products

Posted on September 23, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Abstract

The possible contamination by aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisin B1 (FB1), fusaric acid (FA), and beauvericin (BEA), was investigated in 55 samples of dried figs and dried figs‐based products purchased from the South Italy (Calabria) market. A total of 41 samples showed contamination by at least one of the mycotoxins investigated. Aflatoxin B1 was found in six samples (0.19 — 8.41 μg/kg) total aflatoxins were found in 13 samples (0.5–17.12 μg/kg), OTA was found in 21 samples (<LOQ—158.58 μg/kg), FB1 was found in eight samples (153.81–5,412.96 μg/kg), BEA was found in 12 samples (<LOQ—5,708.49 μg/kg), and FA was found in 28 samples (<LOQ—74,520.20 μg/kg). The analyzed samples were contaminated with one (41.8%), two (7.3%), three (5.5%), four (10.9%), and five (5.5%) mycotoxins. To the best of our knowledge, the incidence of contamination by FA and BEA has been shown for the first time in dried figs.

Practical applications

The present work was focused on mycotoxin mixtures contamination levels of dried figs and dried figs‐based products. It is known that the co‐occurrence of mycotoxins leads to additive or synergistic effects. For some analyzed samples the AFB1, aflatoxins, and ochratoxin A (OTA) levels exceed the European Union countries legal limit. In addition, the simultaneous presence of FB1, FA, and BEA can be a potential threat to the health of consumers. Although different studies examined AFs, OTA, and Fusarium toxins as single mycotoxins in dried figs, to our knowledge, the co‐occurrence of AFs, OTA, FB1, FA, and BEA in dried figs and in dried figs‐based products samples has not been reported previously. Therefore, to prevent mycotoxins contamination, the employment of good practices in all the processing steps is necessary. Furthermore, the quality control of the ingredients used in figs preparations (spices, other dried fruits, cocoa, etc.), usually not adequately, is essential. Finally, it is of importance to establish more stringent rules to ensure food safety, even if no legal limit was still set for Fusarium toxins in dried fruit.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Fusarium Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Uncategorized