Research Publications (Food Safety)

The present study was conducted to investigate the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) liver toxicity and gut histomorphometry after gut borne-Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation to AFB1-contaminated piglet diets. Thirty-two male mixed-breed piglets (weaned at 21 days old) were housed in individual pens and allowed to acclimate for 7 days. Animals were randomly assigned to four treatments of 22 days: T1 – low AFB1 levels diet (L, 31.6 μg/kg); T2 – L + S.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to feed contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the performance and health of tambaqui fingerlings.

In this study, we report a new method to prepare highly sensitive monoclonal antibody against α-zearalanol (ZAL) based on a similar antigen determinant structure. Zearalanone (ZAN), structural analogs of ZAL, was modified by oximation to obtain ZAN-O. ZAN-O was then coupled with bovine serum albumin using 1-ethyl-3- (3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) to synthesise the artificial complete antigen ZAN-O-BSA. ZAN-O-BSA was used to immunise the BALB/c mice.

Mycotoxins are natural food contaminants, associated with adverse health effects due to acute intoxication and, what is much more common, chronic exposure. The most hazardous and widespread mycotoxins are subjected to regulation in food in most countries. Alongside with regulated, a wide list of mycotoxins is monitored in various foods. Traditionally mycotoxins in tea are determined in a dry sample, not taking into account their transfer rate into the infusion.

Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites, produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which contaminate food and feed and threaten human and animal health. To assess the prevalence of aflatoxins in Tanzania, 180 groundnut and 200 maize samples were collected from 9 and 10 districts, respectively. Aflatoxin contamination was quantified using high performance liquid chromatography.

Occurrence of mycotoxins in agricultural products represents a risk for human and animal health. Therefore, there is a requirement of strategies to mitigate their harmful impacts.

In Ontario, Canada, Fusarium graminearum Schwabe causes Gibberella ear rot (GER) in maize, resulting in the accumulation of mycotoxins, mainly deoxynivalenol (DON), DON-3-glucoside (DON-3G) and zearalenone (ZEN) in infected kernels. Fungicides can be an important tool for managing GER and DON and other Fusarium mycotoxins in maize. Until recently, all fungicides available to growers were triazoles, thus no resistance management strategy through fungicide use was possible.

During the 60 years since the first scientific reports about a relation between aflatoxin exposure and adverse health consequences, both in animals and humans, there has been a remarkable number of basic, clinical and population science studies characterising the impact of this mycotoxin on diseases such as liver cancer. Many of these human investigations to date have focused on populations residing in Asia and Africa due to the high incidence of liver cancer and high exposures to aflatoxin.

Aspergillus fungi are known to produce aflatoxins, among which aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most potent carcinogen that is metabolised by cytochrome P450 (CYP450). In the liver, AFB1 is metabolised into exo-8,9-epoxide by the CYP1A2 enzymes. The resulting epoxide can react with guanine to cause DNA damage. Natural inhibitors are being identified. However, the modes of action are poorly understood.

The aim of the study was to determine whether the addition of vegetable biocholine (VB) in laying hens feed minimises the effects of daily intake of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). We allocated Hy-line Brown line laying hens into four groups with four replications/group and four birds/repetition.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) causes yield loss, quality reduction, and grain mycotoxin accumulations. A novel pydiflumetofen-containing fungicide, Miravis Ace, was recently registered in North America. The main objective of this study was to assess the efficacies of Miravis Ace and the timing of application alongside industry standard triazole fungicides (Prosaro, Caramba, Proline and Folicur) on suppressing FHB, reducing mycotoxins and improving wheat agronomic performance.

Aflatoxins and fumonisins commonly contaminate key food staples in tropical countries, causing recurring acute and chronic public health problems. The present study was conducted to assess the potential of a simple device designed for density-based sorting of maize for its potential to reduce aflatoxins and fumonisins in diverse samples of naturally contaminated maize. A cross sectional survey was conducted, analysing market maize samples (n=204) from eight counties in Western Kenya.

India is the largest jute and fifth largest maize producing country in the world. In India maize is commonly stored and transported in jute bags which are used multiple times. Aflatoxin contamination of maize is a major issue in India. This study evaluated the potential impact of re-using jute bags on the risk of aflatoxin contamination of maize in the food supply chain. A total of 121 jute bags were collected in India; 95 had been used for maize and 26 bags were new.

B-series fumonisins (FBs) are a family of carcinogenic mycotoxins that commonly occur in maize. These mycotoxins cause multiple diseases in animals and are epidemiologically associated with several human diseases in populations for which maize is a dietary staple. FBs are produced by multiple genera of the fungi Aspergillus, Fusarium and Tolypocladium, but the plant pathogen Fusarium verticillioides is considered the primary cause of FB contamination in maize. One F.

Nyjer seeds are oil rich (35-40% oil content) seeds of the plant Guizotia abyssinica, which is closely related to sunflower. They are pressed mechanically for cooking oil in Ethiopia and elsewhere. The remaining deoiled cake, which contains approximately 10% oil is commonly used as animal feed.

The presence of mycotoxins in cereals has led to large economic losses in Europe. In the course of the European project MyToolBox, prevention and control measures to reduce mycotoxin contamination in cereals were developed. This study aimed to estimate the impact of these prevention and control measures on both the reduction in crop losses and the increased volume of crops suitable for food and/or feed.

Zearalenone (ZEN), a Fusarium’s mycotoxin, is immunotoxic, genotoxic, hepatonephrotoxic and, affects the reproductive system. ZEN induces toxic and genotoxic effects on humans and other animals. Achyrocline satureioides has several medicinal properties. Moreover, the aqueous extract of A. satureioides is a safe agent that exerts low cytotoxicity and no genotoxicity. This extract is a promissory candidate to counteract ZEN effects.

Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone content and the presence of Fusarium species in organically and conventionally grown wheat harvested in the Czech Republic during 2015-2017 were studied. Mycotoxin contamination was compared using two approaches. The first was based on samples taken from randomly selected farms in individual regions of the Czech Republic, both organic (154 samples) and conventional (330 samples).

A label-free electrochemical aptasensor was constructed for the sensitive and selective determination of AFM1. For preparation of the aptasensor, the AFM1 aptamer was immobilised on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode modified with hemin encapsulated in Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (hemin@Fe-MIL-101).

School feeding in low-income countries is dominated by cereals and legumes, which are susceptible to aflatoxin contamination but are usually not assessed for aflatoxins. A cross sectional study was conducted to assess aflatoxin exposure among adolescents through consumption of school meals in Kilimanjaro region. Food frequency questionnaires and 24 h dietary recalls were used to collect information on food consumption. At least four samples of common food used in school meals were collected.

A structured questionnaire was used to collect information of awareness, knowledge and practices associated with aflatoxin contamination in spices from 30 retailers in Dar es Salaam. Aflatoxin contamination in spices was analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection using post column derivatization. Data were statistically analysed to assess factors associated with aflatoxin contamination in the study community.

The inclusion of anti-mycotoxin additives (AMA) in the diet of production animals has been widely used to avoid mycotoxin exposure. In order to confirm the efficacy of such products in vivo, measurement of mycotoxins and/or their metabolites in biological fluids is preconized. This study aimed at determining the serological biomarkers of zearalenone (ZEN), α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol (β-ZAL) and zearalanone, to evaluate the efficacy of an AMA in beef heifers.

Bentonite clays exhibit high adsorptive capacity for contaminants and is frequently used as a feed additive to reduce the bioavailability and thus the toxicity of several mycotoxins. Zearalenone (ZEN) is a secondary Fusarium toxic metabolite that can contaminate a wide range of food- and feedstuff.

Patulin (PAT) is a natural mycotoxin that commonly contaminates fruits and their derivative products and has been proven to induce cytotoxicity and oxidative damage in renal cells. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of apocynin, a potent phenolic antioxidant isolated from plants, on PAT-induced cell injury in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells.

Aflatoxin producing fungi cause contamination of food and feed resulting in health hazards and economic loss. It is imperative to develop workable control measures throughout the food chain to prevent and reduce aflatoxin contamination. This is a critical review of contemporary published papers in the field. It is a review of reports from the original aflatoxin researches conducted on foods, from 2015-2020.