RASFF-ochratoxin A (5.9 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted coffee beans produced in Poland, with raw material from the Netherlands in Poland
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Category Archives: Ochratoxin
RASFF Alert – Ochratoxin A – Parboiled Rice
RASFF-ochratoxin A (13.6 µg/kg – ppb) in paraboiled rice from Sri Lanka in Switzerland
RASFF Alerts – Backdated 22/9/18 – 05/10/18 – Ochratoxin A – Paprika Powder – Popcorn in Grain
Research – Mycotoxins – Mycotoxins Will Pose Greater Threat to Feed Safety, Hindering Industry Productivity and Sustainability
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.
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
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.
RASFF Alert- Ochratoxin A – Organic Oats
RASFF-ochratoxin A (69 µg/kg – ppb) in organic oats from the Czech Republic in Germany
Information – Regional Results of Global Mycotoxin Occurrence through June 2018
Since 2004, the BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey Program constitutes the longest running, and most comprehensive survey of its kind. It details the incidence of the main mycotoxins occurring in agricultural commodities, which include aflatoxins (Afla), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), fumonisins (FUM) and ochratoxin A (OTA).
The survey focuses on components that are used for feed such as corn, wheat, barley, rice, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, dried distillers grains (DDGS) and silage, among others.
From January to June 2018, the BIOMIN scientists have tested 8,310 samples, from different regions around the world.
Figure 1. Occurrence of mycotoxins worldwide through Q2 2018. Average of all samples collected by BIOMIN.
Posted in Aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, DON, Food Toxin, Fumonsins, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Uncategorized, Zearalenone
