Zearalenone risk in European wheat

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Trichothecene Mycotoxin ◽  
Fusarium Spp ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Cereal Products ◽  
High Fibre ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Uk

Zearalenone is an oestrogenic mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species which can infect cereals, in particular wheat and maize. The predominant species responsible for zearalenone production is Fusarium graminearum, which also produces the trichothecene mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol. The infection and subsequent mycotoxin production by Fusarium spp. is largely dependent on rainfall at flowering and before harvest. High concentrations of zearalenone in particular, appear to be produced during delayed wet harvests. There has been a recent and ongoing increase in F. graminearum incidence resulting in increased occurrence of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone across northern Europe, where delayed wet harvests are more common. Zearalenone contamination of grain is largely restricted to the outer layers of wheat grain and therefore is partitioned into the bran fraction during milling. This results in higher concentrations of zearalenone in high fibre cereal products. After the delayed wet harvest in the UK in 2008, 29% of wheat at harvest exceeded the European limit for unprocessed cereals of 100 µg/kg. This resulted in difficulties in sourcing bran which would allow production of high fibre breakfast cereals within zearalenone limits and the European Commission provided a temporary derogation for high fibre breakfast cereals of 100 µg/kg zearalenone until 31 October 2009. Rainfall data and zearalenone concentrations in UK wheat from the last ten years were used to predict the occurrence of high zearalenone in wheat (10% or more of unprocessed wheat greater than 100 µg/ kg zearalenone). High zearalenone was predicted to occur one year in five for northern Europe which matches the observed incidence for the UK within the last ten years. As a consequence, current legislative limits for zearalenone in cereals and cereal products could impact on the availability of high fibre cereal products one year in five.

scholarly journals Sugar Content in UK Breakfast Cereals: A Market Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom J. Butler ◽  
Evelyn S. Birman ◽  
Neil Hancock ◽  
J. Bernadette Moore
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Content ◽  
Total Sugar ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Free Sugars ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Cereal Products ◽  
Dried Fruits ◽  
Total Sugar Content ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBreakfast cereals are known to provide a nutrient-dense meal and are a useful source of carbohydrate, fibre and micronutrients. However, in the UK cereal products are the primary contributor of free sugars in the diets of children aged 1.5 to 10 years; and are the second leading source of free sugars in children aged 11 to 18 years and adults aged 19 to 64 years. For this reason, breakfast cereals were included among food items recommended by the UK government for a 20% reduction in sugar by 2020 for childhood obesity prevention. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the nutrient contents, including sugars, of breakfast cereals sold in the UK, in particular those marketed to children. Nutritional information and ingredients of cereal products available in five major online supermarkets in the UK, in 2018, were collected into a comprehensive database for analysis. A systematic process flow approach was utilised to separate products into nine distinct categories. Children's products were stratified both on being wholegrain rich (≥ 50%, WG) or not (NWG), and on total sugar content; with > 12.3g/100 g defined as ‘highly flavoured and sweetened’ (HFS) versus ‘plain’ containing ≤ 12.3g/100 g (the target set by the UK for industry sugar reduction). Of the 757 unique products surveyed, 97 cereals were categorised as children's. Cereals not explicitly marketed to children were categorised as either ‘family favourites’ (containing < 50% wholegrains), ‘free-from and organic’, ‘porridge and oats’, ‘healthier with dried fruits’, or ‘healthier without dried fruits’ (healthier defined as wholegrain rich, ≥ 50%). Children's HFS products (n = 78) contained by far the highest sugar contents of all cereals examined. While there was no difference in total sugar between NWG/HFS (n = 69, median [range]: 29.0g/100 g [12.4, 41.0]) and WG/HFS (n = 9, 22.0g/100 g [13.6, 26.0]) cereals; these were much higher (P < 0.01) than the median sugar contents (8.8–19.0g/100g) observed in the other seven product categories. Children's NWG cereals contained dramatically lower fibre (NWG/HFS: 3.5 [0, 8.7], NWG/Plain: 1.6g/100 g [1.3, 7.2]) than all other product categories (7.3–9.1g/100 g; P < 0.001). Similarly, NWG/HFS cereals were lower in protein content (7.4/100 g [3.6, 17.2]) than the non-children's cereals (8.8–11g/100 g; P < 0.05). In conclusion, children's categories of cereal contain significantly greater amounts of sugar and lower amounts of fibre and protein than other cereal categories. Despite their fortification with vitamins and minerals, reformulation of this food category should be a priority alongside additional sugar-reducing strategies.

scholarly journals Importance of Health Claims in the Adoption of New Breakfast Cereal Products in the UK

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Costa-Font ◽  
Cesar Revoredo-Giha
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
New Products ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Cereal Products ◽  
Nutrition Claims ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Regular breakfast consumption has the potential to prevent the prevalence of NCDs and to improve the nutritional profile of diets. Given consumers’ interest in improving their diets, food suppliers are interested in introducing new cereal products making different health claims to capture consumers’ attention. The purpose of this study is threefold: first, it aims to understand whether UK food suppliers are working to increase the availability of breakfast cereals with healthy and nutritious attributes; second, it explores which companies are leading the launch of these products; and third, it assesses to what extent health and nutrition claims made by breakfast cereals have an impact on their market success. The study employs an assembled database combining data from Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) and Kantar Worldpanel Dataset (KWDS) for the UK. A hazard-based duration model was used to analyse the success of the new products launched in the UK market in 2011 following them up to 2015. Our results reveal that UK suppliers broadened the number of breakfast cereals on offer in the period 2000 to 2018, with a particular focus on multigrain cereals, porridge and granola. Health and nutrition claims were added to 27% of these products. Although consumers welcome healthy alternatives such as muesli, the impact of positional claims on the success of newly developed breakfast cereals is claim-specific. No clear pattern regarding the impact of health and nutrition claims is identified. However, other elements such as celiac-friendly ingredients and UK origin do have a positive impact on the success of breakfast cereals.

scholarly journals Trichothecene-Producing Fusarium Species Isolated from Soybean Roots in Ethiopia and Ghana and their Pathogenicity on Soybean

Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (8) ◽  
pp. 2070-2075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen L. Hartman ◽  
Susan P. McCormick ◽  
Kerry O’Donnell
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Trichothecene Mycotoxin ◽  
Fusarium Spp ◽  
Fusarium Sp ◽  
Soybean Roots

Numerous pathogen surveys have reported that diverse Fusarium spp. threaten soybean production in North and South America. However, little research has been conducted to characterize Fusarium pathogens of soybean in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objectives were to (i) identify Fusarium spp. isolated from discolored root segments of soybean grown in Ethiopia and Ghana using DNA sequence data, (ii) determine whether isolates nested in the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti and F. sambucinum species complexes (FIESC and FSAMSC, respectively) produced trichothecene mycotoxins in vitro, and (iii) test these isolates for pathogenicity on soybean. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the trichothecene mycotoxin-producing isolates comprised three undescribed species within the FIESC and FSAMSC. Mycotoxin type B trichothecene 4,15-diacetylnivalenol or T-2 toxin and related type A neosolaniol trichothecenes were produced by 18 of the 21 isolates. Of the 12 isolates from Ethiopia and Ghana tested for their impact on seed germination, 5, comprising two undescribed phylospecies (i.e., Fusarium sp. number 3 and Fusarium sp. FIESC 2,) completely inhibited germination, whereas 4 caused no reduction in germination. Root lesions induced by all 12 isolates were greater than the uninoculated negative control. Additional variation among the isolates was reflected in differences (α = 0.05) in lesion lengths, which ranged from 34 to 67% of total root length. This is the first report characterizing FIESC and FSAMSC isolates from soybean roots in Ethiopia and Ghana.

scholarly journals Does the use of atoxigenic biocontrol products to mitigate aflatoxin in maize increase fumonisin content in grains?

Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Ortega-Beltran ◽  
Daniel Agbetiameh ◽  
Joseph Atehnkeng ◽  
Titilayo D.O. Falade ◽  
Ranajit Bandyopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Fusarium Spp ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Tropics

In the tropics and subtropics, maize and other crops are frequently contaminated with aflatoxins by Aspergillus flavus. Treatment of crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus formulated into biocontrol products can significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination. Treated crops contain up to 100% less aflatoxins compared to untreated crops. However, there is the notion that protecting crops from aflatoxin contamination may result in increased accumulation of other toxins, particularly fumonisins produced by a few Fusarium species. The objective of this study was to determine if treatment of maize with aflatoxin biocontrol products increased fumonisin concentration and fumonisin-producing fungi in grains. Over 200 maize samples from fields treated with atoxigenic biocontrol products in Nigeria and Ghana were examined for fumonisin content and contrasted with maize from untreated fields. Apart from low aflatoxin levels, most treated maize also harbored fumonisin levels considered safe by the European Union (< 1 part per million). Most untreated maize also harbored equally low fumonisin levels but contained higher aflatoxin levels. In addition, during one year, we detected considerably less Fusarium spp. densities in treated maize than in untreated maize. Our results do not support the hypothesis that treating crops with atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus used in biocontrol formulations results in higher grain fumonisin levels.

Hygienic risk assessment by monitoring pathogens in municipal sewage

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-H. von Bonsdorff ◽  
L. Maunula ◽  
R.M. Niemi ◽  
R. Rimhanen-Finne ◽  
M.-L. Hänninen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enteric Viruses ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Small Community ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cryptosporidium Oocysts ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
One Year ◽  
Enteric Protozoa ◽  
Day Care Centre

The purpose of this study was to monitor the levels of human enteric viruses and enteric protozoa and to relate their presence to the microbes used as hygienic quality indicators in domestic sewage from a small community in Finland during a period of one year. Genome-based sensitive detection methods for the pathogens selected (astro- and Norwalk-like viruses, Giardia and Cryptosporidium) have become available only recently and thus no earlier data was available. The effluent sewage is delivered into a river that serves as raw water for a larger town and the pathogens therefore constitute a health risk. The results showed that all the monitored pathogens could be detected, and that enteric viruses were present at considerable concentrations in sewage. High concentrations of astrovirus in raw sewage were observed during a diarrhea epidemic in the local day-care centre. The presence of viruses did not correlate with the monitored bacterial indicators of faecal contamination (coliforms, E. coli and enterococci) or with bacteriophages (somatic coliphages, F-specific RNA phages and B. fragilis phages). Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected from one sample (1/10) each.

scholarly journals Environmental DNA preserved in marine sediment for detecting jellyfish blooms after a tsunami

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mizuki Ogata ◽  
Reiji Masuda ◽  
Hiroya Harino ◽  
Masayuki K. Sakata ◽  
Makoto Hatakeyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Sediment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Tank Experiment ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
One Year

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) can be a powerful tool for detecting the distribution and abundance of target species. This study aimed to test the longevity of eDNA in marine sediment through a tank experiment and to use this information to reconstruct past faunal occurrence. In the tank experiment, juvenile jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) were kept in flow-through tanks with marine sediment for two weeks. Water and sediment samples from the tanks were collected after the removal of fish. In the field trial, sediment cores were collected in Moune Bay, northeast Japan, where unusual blooms of jellyfish (Aurelia sp.) occurred after a tsunami. The samples were analyzed by layers to detect the eDNA of jellyfish. The tank experiment revealed that after fish were removed, eDNA was not present in the water the next day, or subsequently, whereas eDNA was detectable in the sediment for 12 months. In the sediment core samples, jellyfish eDNA was detected at high concentrations above the layer with the highest content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reflecting tsunami-induced oil spills. Thus, marine sediment eDNA preserves a record of target species for at least one year and can be used to reconstruct past faunal occurrence.

scholarly journals Biocatalytic Transformation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-di(hydroxymethyl)furan by a Newly Isolated Fusarium striatum Strain

Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Alberto Millán ◽  
Núria Sala ◽  
Mercè Torres ◽  
Ramon Canela-Garayoa
Keyword(s):  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Inoculum Size ◽  
High Recovery ◽  
23 Factorial Design ◽  
Organic Solvent Extraction ◽  
Working Volume ◽  
The Media ◽  
Substrate Feeding ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Reaction Media

The compound 2,5-di(hydroxymethyl)furan (DHMF) is a high-value chemical block that can be synthesized from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a platform chemical that results from the dehydration of biomass-derived carbohydrates. In this work, the HMF biotransformation capability of different Fusarium species was evaluated, and F. striatum was selected to produce DHMF. The effects of the inoculum size, glucose concentration and pH of the media over DHMF production were evaluated by a 23 factorial design. A substrate feeding approach was found suitable to overcome the toxicity effect of HMF towards the cells when added at high concentrations (>75 mM). The process was successfully scaled-up at bioreactor scale (1.3 L working volume) with excellent DHMF production yields (95%) and selectivity (98%). DHMF was purified from the reaction media with high recovery and purity by organic solvent extraction with ethyl acetate.

scholarly journals Caterpillars of the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia can extend their life-cycle in Scotland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil O. M. Ravenscroft
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
First Year ◽  
Winter Mortality ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Euphydryas Aurinia ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Marsh Fritillary

AbstractThe marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia is declining across Europe and is of high conservation interest. Its ecology has been defined and its conservation status assessed primarily from the affinities and populations of young caterpillars in the autumn, before hibernation and high winter mortality. The possibility that caterpillars of E. aurinia can overwinter more than once was investigated on the Isle of Islay, Scotland after caterpillars were found to occur at some locations in the spring despite a pre-hibernation absence. Closely-related species in North America and Northern Europe can prolong larval development by diapausing for a year as does E. aurinia in Scandinavia. Measurements of development and manipulations of distribution confirmed that some caterpillars do extend the life-cycle in Scotland and may occur in areas devoid of larvae in their first year. Caterpillars attempting this life-cycle develop slowly in spring, attain the normal penultimate spring instar and then enter diapause while other caterpillars are pupating. They moult just before diapause, construct highly cryptic webs and on emergence the following spring are 5–6 times heavier than larvae emerging in their first spring, or the equivalent of a month or so ahead. They attain a final, extra instar as larvae in their first spring reach the penultimate instar. Knowledge of this life-cycle is confined in the UK to Islay but its occurrence in this mild climate implies that it is more widespread.Implications for insect conservation Conditions that permit long diapause are probably precise and may not be reflected in recognised qualities of habitat. The species may also be present despite a perceived absence in autumn, the standard period for monitoring. Assessments of the prevalence of the life-cycle and its contribution to the persistence of E. aurinia are required. Populations of E. aurinia are known to fluctuate greatly and do occur below the observation threshold for long periods.

scholarly journals Towards a hydrological classification of European soils: preliminary test of its predictive power for the base flow index using river discharge data

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1501-1513 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Schneider ◽  
F. Brunner ◽  
J. M. Hollis ◽  
C. Stamm
Keyword(s):  
Water Movement ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Regression Coefficients ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Flow Index ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Base Flow Index ◽  
The Uk

Abstract. Predicting discharge in ungauged catchments or contaminant movement through soil requires knowledge of the distribution and spatial heterogeneity of hydrological soil properties. Because hydrological soil information is not available at a European scale, we reclassified the Soil Geographical Database of Europe (SGDBE) at 1:1 million in a hydrological manner by adopting the Hydrology Of Soil Types (HOST) system developed in the UK. The HOST classification describes dominant pathways of water movement through soil and was related to the base flow index (BFI) of a catchment (the long-term proportion of base flow on total stream flow). In the original UK study, a linear regression of the coverage of HOST classes in a catchment explained 79% of BFI variability. We found that a hydrological soil classification can be built based on the information present in the SGDBE. The reclassified SGDBE and the regression coefficients from the original UK study were used to predict BFIs for 103 catchments spread throughout Europe. The predicted BFI explained around 65% of the variability in measured BFI in catchments in Northern Europe, but the explained variance decreased from North to South. We therefore estimated new regression coefficients from the European discharge data and found that these were qualitatively similar to the original estimates from the UK. This suggests little variation across Europe in the hydrological effect of particular HOST classes, but decreasing influence of soil on BFI towards Southern Europe. Our preliminary study showed that pedological information is useful for characterising soil hydrology within Europe and the long-term discharge regime of catchments in Northern Europe. Based on these results, we draft a roadmap for a refined hydrological classification of European soils.

scholarly journals Effects of Antagonists on Mycotoxins of Seedborne Fusarium spp. in Sweet Corn

Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Mary E. Ridout ◽  
Bruce Godfrey ◽  
George Newcombe
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Corn ◽  
Fusarium Species ◽  
Fusarium Mycotoxins ◽  
Fusarium Spp ◽  
Corn Seed ◽  
Pichia Membranifaciens ◽  
Mature Seeds ◽  
F1 Cross

Fusarium species coexist as toxigenic, systemic pathogens in sweet corn seed production in southwestern Idaho, USA. We hypothesized that fungal antagonists of seedborne Fusarium would differentially alter production of Fusarium mycotoxins directly and/or systemically. We challenged the Fusarium complex by in vitro antagonism trials and in situ silk and seed inoculations with fungal antagonists. Fungal antagonists reduced growth and sporulation of Fusarium species in vitro from 40.5% to as much as 100%. Pichia membranifaciens and Penicillium griseolum reduced fumonisin production by F. verticillioides by 73% and 49%, respectively, while P. membranifaciens and a novel Penicillium sp. (WPT) reduced fumonisins by F. proliferatum 56% and 78%, respectively. In situ, pre-planting inoculation of seeds with Penicillium WPT systemically increased fumonisins in the resulting crop. Morchella snyderi applied to silks of an F1 cross systemically reduced deoxynivalenol by 47% in mature seeds of the F2. Antagonists failed to suppress Fusarium in mature kernels following silk inoculations, although the ratio of F. verticillioides to total Fusarium double with some inoculants. Fusarium mycotoxin concentrations in sweet corn seed change systemically, as well as locally, in response to the presence of fungal antagonists, although in Fusarium presence in situ was not changed.

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