Mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi on cereal grains in western Canada

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 982-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Ergot Alkaloids ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Cereal Grains ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Aspergillus Versicolor ◽  
Toxigenic Fungi ◽  
Penicillium Aurantiogriseum

Toxins occasionally present on cereal grains in the field in western Canada include ergot alkaloids produced by Claviceps purpurea and trichothecenes produced by Fusarium species, particularly Fusarium sporotrichioides and Fusarium graminearum. HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and deoxynivalenol are the main trichothecenes encountered. During storage of cereals, the predominant toxins and toxigenic fungi are ochratoxin A and citrinin produced by Penicillium aurantiogriseum, P. chrysogenum, and P. verrucosum and sterigmatocystin produced by Aspergillus versicolor. The incidence of toxin-contaminated grains is extremely low relative to the volume of grains produced. Occurrence of toxins is influenced by field moisture, temperature, and bin storage conditions of a particular year. The risk of toxin production is highest in durum wheat and lowest in oats.Key words: ochratoxin A, citrinin, deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, ergot alkaloids.

scholarly journals Growth and toxin production of phomopsin A and ochratoxin A forming fungi under different storage conditions in a pea (Pisum sativum) model system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Maria Kunz ◽  
Laura Pförtner ◽  
Stefan Weigel ◽  
Sascha Rohn ◽  
Anselm Lehmacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Water Activity ◽  
Fungal Growth ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Model System ◽  
Relative Air Humidity ◽  
Phomopsis Leptostromiformis ◽  
Elevated Water

AbstractPhomopsins are mycotoxins mainly infesting lupines, with phomopsin A (PHOA) being the main mycotoxin. PHOA is produced by Diaporthe toxica, formerly assigned as toxigenic Phomopsis leptostromiformis, causing infections in lupine plants and harvested seeds. However, Diaporthe species may also grow on other grain legumes, similar to Aspergillus westerdijkiae as an especially potent ochratoxin A (OTA) producer. Formation of PHOA and OTA was investigated on whole field peas as model system to assess fungal growth and toxin production at adverse storage conditions. Field pea samples were inoculated with the two fungal strains at two water activity (aw) values of 0.94 and 0.98 and three different levels of 30, 50, and 80% relative air humidity.After 14 days at an aw value of 0.98, the fungi produced 4.49 to 34.3 mg/kg PHOA and 1.44 to 3.35 g/kg OTA, respectively. Strains of D. toxica also tested showed higher PHOA concentrations of 28.3 to 32.4 mg/kg.D. toxica strains did not grow or produce PHOA at an aw values of 0.94, while A. westerdijkiae still showed growth and OTA production.Elevated water activity has a major impact both on OTA and, even more pronouncedly, on PHOA formation and thus, proper drying and storage of lupins as well as other grain legumes is crucial for product safety.

Ochratoxin A contamination of cereal grains and coffee in Hungary in the year 2001

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Fazekas ◽  
A. K. Tar ◽  
Melinda Zomborszky-Kovács
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Wheat Flour ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Storage Period ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Cereal Grains ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
High Prevalence

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin, a secondary metabolite produced by mould fungi belonging to several Aspergillus and Penicillium species. It is formed during the storage of cereal grains and other plant-derived products. OTA ingested by humans and animals with the food or feed may exert deleterious effects on health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ochratoxin contamination of the most important potential sources of OTA. The OTA content of cereal samples for human consumption (36 baking wheat, 16 wheat flour and 6 maize coarse meal samples) and feed grain samples (30 feeding wheat, 32 feeding maize and 20 feeding barley samples) collected in the mid-phase or at the end of the storage period and of 50 commercial coffee samples was determined. The analyses were performed by immunoaffinity column - high-performance liquid chromatography (IAC-HPLC). The limit of detection of the method was 0.1 ng/g. Of the wheat samples intended for human consumption, 8.3% contained OTA at 0.29 ng/g on the average (OTA ranges: 0.12-0.5 ng/g; Table 2). The OTA contamination of wheat flour and maize meal samples for human consumption was similar to that of the baking wheat samples. OTA contamination was found in 26.7% of the feeding wheat, 15.6% of the feeding maize and 35% of the feeding barley samples. The average values and the ranges of OTA levels found in the above samples were 12.2 and 0.3-62.8 ng/g, 4.9 and 1.9-8.3 ng/g, and 72 and 0.14-212 ng/g, respectively (Table 3). Sixty-six percent of the coffee samples were contaminated with OA (average level: 0.57 ng/g, ranges: 0.17-1.3 ng/g; Table 4). OTA contamination of baking wheat samples was found to be relatively low, presumably as a result of the favourable weather at harvest and the optimal storage conditions. Calculations made on the basis of the obtained results show that the daily OTA intake of an adult human from edible cereals is only 6.7 ng, while the amount taken up with coffee is 4.1 ng daily. The high prevalence and high levels of OTA contamination in feed grains can be explained by the unfavourable storage conditions, and this finding suggests that OA-related health problems may arise in animals, and that foods of animal origin may be contaminated with this mycotoxin.

scholarly journals Critical Assessment of Streptomyces spp. Able to Control Toxigenic Fusaria in Cereals: A Literature and Patent Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (24) ◽  
pp. 6119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Maria Colombo ◽  
Andrea Kunova ◽  
Paolo Cortesi ◽  
Marco Saracchi ◽  
Matias Pasquali
Keyword(s):  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Genus Streptomyces ◽  
Toxigenic Fungi ◽  
Drug Molecules ◽  
Streptomyces Spp ◽  
Disease Occurrence ◽  
Patent Review ◽  
Patent Literature ◽  
Year 2000

Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species on cereals represent a major concern for food safety worldwide. Fusarium toxins that are currently under regulation for their content in food include trichothecenes, fumonisins, and zearalenone. Biological control of Fusarium spp. has been widely explored with the aim of limiting disease occurrence, but few efforts have focused so far on limiting toxin accumulation in grains. The bacterial genus Streptomyces is responsible for the production of numerous drug molecules and represents a huge resource for the discovery of new molecules. Streptomyces spp. are also efficient plant colonizers and able to employ different mechanisms of control against toxigenic fungi on cereals. This review describes the outcomes of research using Streptomyces strains and/or their derived molecules to limit toxin production and/or contamination of Fusarium species in cereals. Both the scientific and patent literature were analyzed, starting from the year 2000, and we highlight promising results as well as the current pitfalls and limitations of this approach.

scholarly journals Ergot Alkaloids in Wheat and Rye Derived Products in Italy

Foods ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Debegnach ◽  
Simona Patriarca ◽  
Carlo Brera ◽  
Emanuela Gregori ◽  
Elisa Sonego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Ergot Alkaloids ◽  
Cereal Grains ◽  
Wheat Bread ◽  
Claviceps Purpurea ◽  
Eu Commission ◽  
Ongoing Monitoring ◽  
The Eu

Genus Claviceps is a plant pathogen able to produce a group of toxins, ergot alkaloids (EAs), whose effects have been known since the Middle Ages (ergotism). Claviceps purpurea is the most important representative specie, known to infect more than 400 monocotyledonous plants including economically important cereal grains (e.g., rye, wheat, triticale). EAs are not regulated as such. Maximum limits are in the pipeline of the EU Commission while at present ergot sclerotia content is set by the Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 in unprocessed cereals (0.05% as a maximum). This study aimed to investigate the presence of the six principal EAs (ergometrine, ergosine, ergocornine, α-ergocryptine, ergotamine and ergocristine) and their relative epimers (-inine forms) in rye- and wheat-based products. Of the samples, 85% resulted positive for at least one of the EAs. Wheat bread was the product with the highest number of positivity (56%), followed by wheat flour (26%). Rye and wheat bread samples showed the highest values when the sum of the EAs was considered, and durum wheat bread was the more contaminated sample (1142.6 μg/kg). These results suggest that ongoing monitoring of EAs in food products is critical until maximum limits are set.

Bioproduction of ochratoxin A and penicillic acid by members of the Aspergillus ochraceus group

1972 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 631-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Ciegler
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Aspergillus Ochraceus ◽  
Cereal Grains ◽  
Liquid Media ◽  
Penicillic Acid ◽  
Group A ◽  
Fluorescent Derivatives

Various strains of species belonging to the Aspergillus ochraceus group (A. ochraceus, A. sclerotiorum, A. alliaceus, A. ostianus, A. melleus, and A. sulphureus) can produce two mycotoxins, ochratoxin A and penicillic acid, on liquid media and in cereal grains. The quantity of each toxin produced is influenced by temperature; low temperature (10 and 20C) favor penicillic acid synthesis and higher (28C), ochratoxin A production. Generally penicillic acid is produced in yields about one to three magnitudes greater than ochratoxin A. A simple fluorodensitometric method for concomitant quantitative analysis of the two toxins has been developed based on conversion of penicillic acid and ochratoxin A to fluorescent derivatives by treatment with ammonia fumes.

scholarly journals Validation study on urinary biomarkers of exposure for aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, fumonisin B1, deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in piglets

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gambacorta ◽  
H. Solfrizzo ◽  
A. Visconti ◽  
S. Powers ◽  
A.M. Cossalter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Dose Response ◽  
Fumonisin B1 ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Urinary Biomarkers ◽  
Post Dose ◽  
Toxigenic Fungi ◽  
Biomarkers Of Exposure ◽  
Commission Recommendation ◽  
Aflatoxin B

The multi-biomarker approach was used to validate urinary biomarkers in piglets administered boluses contaminated with mixtures of deoxynivalenol (DON), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), zearalenone (ZEA) and ochratoxin A (OTA) at different concentrations. Boluses contaminated with mycotoxins were prepared by slurrying and freezedrying feed material fortified with culture extracts of selected toxigenic fungi. Piglets were individually placed in metabolic cages to collect urine before gavage and 24 h post dose. Urine samples were hydrolysed with β-glucuronidase and analysed by a multi-biomarker LC-MS/MS method developed and validated to identify and measure biomarkers of FB1, OTA, DON, ZEA and AFB1. Urinary levels of FB1, OTA, DON + de-epoxy-deoxynivalenol, ZEA + alphazearalenol and aflatoxin M1 were selected as biomarkers of FB1, OTA, DON, ZEA and AFB1, respectively. Mean percentages of dietary mycotoxins excreted as biomarkers in 24 h post dose urine were 36.8% for ZEA, 28.5% for DON, 2.6% FB1, 2.6% for OTA and 2.5% for AFB1. A good correlation was observed between the amount of mycotoxins ingested and the amount of relevant biomarkers excreted in 24 h post dose urine. Linear dose-response correlation coefficients ranged between 0.68 and 0.78 for the tested couples of mycotoxin/biomarker. The good sensitivity of the LC-MS/MS method and the good dose-response correlations observed in this study permitted to validate the selected mycotoxin biomarkers in piglets at dietary levels close to the maximum permitted levels reported in Commission Directive 2003/100/EC for AFB1 and the guidance values reported in Commission Recommendation 2006/576/EC for DON, ZEA, OTA and FB1.

Abiotic factors affect growth and aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus flavus strains on chilli powder and red chillies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
D. Al-Jaza ◽  
A. Medina ◽  
N. Magan
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Statistical Difference ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Contour Maps ◽  
Lag Phases

Chillies and chilli-based products are important spices on a global basis. The production, processing, transport and storage phases of chillies are prone to infection by Aspergillus Section Flavi and contamination with aflatoxins (AFs), especially aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) for which legislative limits exist in many countries. We have examined the effect of the interacting abiotic factors of water availability (water activity, aw; 0.995-0.850 aw) and temperature (15-37 °C) on (a) lag phases prior to growth, (b) growth, (c) AFB1 production and (d) contour maps of optimum and boundary conditions for colonisation and toxin production by three Aspergillus flavus strains on a 10% chilli-based medium. Additional studies with whole red chillies + A. flavus conidial inoculum on AFB1 contamination during storage for 10-20 days at 30 °C were also carried out. In vitro, the lag phases before growth were delayed by lower temperatures (15, 20 °C) and aw levels (0.928-0.901 aw). There was no statistical difference in growth between the three strains. Optimal growth was at 37 °C and 0.982 aw with no growth at 0.85 aw. Optimal temperature × aw conditions for AFB1 production were at 30 °C and 0.982 aw with no statistical difference in production between strains. No AFB1 was produced at 15-20 °C at 0.901 and 0.928 aw levels, respectively. In situ studies with A. flavus inoculated whole red chillies at 0.90 and 0.95 aw found that this species became the major component of the total fungal populations at 30 °C after 10-20 days storage. AFB1 contamination was above the European legislative limits (5 μg/kg) for spices at 0.90 aw after 20 days storage and at 0.95 aw after 10 and 20 days. This suggests that storage conditions of ≥0.90 aw, especially at ≥25-30 °C represents a significant risk of contamination with AFB1 at levels where rejection might occur, even after only 10-20 days storage.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Fungi and Fungal Toxins in Fish Feed during Storage

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Constanze Pietsch ◽  
Georg Müller ◽  
Sulayman Mourabit ◽  
Simon Carnal ◽  
Kasun Bandara
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Short Duration ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Fish Feed ◽  
Fungal Contamination ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Fungal Toxins ◽  
Fish Feeds

Periods of unfavorable storing conditions can lead to changes in the quality of fish feeds, as well as the development of relevant mycotoxins. In the present study, a commercial fish feed was stored under defined conditions for four weeks. The main findings indicate that even storing fish feeds under unsuitable conditions for a short duration leads to a deterioration in quality. Mycotoxin and fungal contamination were subsequently analyzed. These investigations confirmed that different storage conditions can influence the presence of fungi and mycotoxins on fish feed. Notably, ochratoxin A (OTA) was found in samples after warm (25 °C) and humid (>60% relative humidity) treatment. This confirms the importance of this compound as a typical contaminant of fish feed and reveals how fast this mycotoxin can be formed in fish feed during storage.

Toxin Production by Clostridium botulinum Type E in Packaged Channel Catfish

1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 1358-1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
PING CAI ◽  
MARK A. HARRISON ◽  
YAO-WEN HUANG ◽  
JUAN L. SILVA
Keyword(s):  
Channel Catfish ◽  
Clostridium Botulinum ◽  
Modified Atmosphere Packaging ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Mouse Bioassay ◽  
Modified Atmosphere ◽  
Oxygen Barrier ◽  
Botulinum Type ◽  
Clostridium Botulinum Type E

Channel catfish were inoculated with 3 to 4 log spores/g of a mixed pool of four strains of C. botulinum type E (Beluga, Minnesota, G21-5, and 070) and were packaged with an oxygen-permeable overwrap, in an oxygen-barrier bag with a modified atmosphere of CO2-N2 (80:20) or in a master bag with the same modified atmosphere. Packaged fish were stored at either 4°C and sampled at intervals over 30 days or at 10°C and sampled at intervals over 12 days. An additional master bag treatment in which overwrap-packaged catfish was stored first at 4°C, then removed from the master bags and stored at 10°C, was sampled at intervals over 18 days. Toxin production was evaluated using the mouse bioassay. Aerobic psychrotrophic and anaerobic populations were enumerated, and product spoilage characteristics were noted. Under abusive storage conditions of 10°C, there was no difference among the potential for toxin production in the packaged fish, with botulinum toxin detected on fish from each package type by day 6. At 4°C, toxin production was detected on day 9 in the overwrapped packages, while it was on day 18 in the modified atmosphere packaging. No toxin was found in the master bags held continually at 4°C. Toxin was detected on day 18 from samples initially held at 4°C in the master bag and subsequently held at 10°C. Spoilage preceded toxin production for samples stored at 4°C for each type of packaging. At 10°C, spoilage and toxin detection times coincided.

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