Worldwide aflatoxin contamination of agricultural products and foods: From occurrence to control

Aflatoxins represent a global public health and economic concern as they are responsible for significant adverse health and economic issues affecting consumers and farmers worldwide. Produced by fungal species from the Aspergillus genus, aflatoxins are a toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic group of fungal metabolites that routinely contaminate food and agricultural products. Climate and diet are essential factors in the aflatoxin contamination of food and subsequent human exposure process. Countri es with warmer climates and staple foods that are aflatoxin-susceptible shoulder a substantial portion of the global aflatoxins burden. Enactment of regulations, prevention of pre- and postharvest contamination, decontamination, and detoxification have been used to prevent human dietary exposure to aflatoxin. Exploiting their chemical and structural properties, means are devised to detect and quantify aflatoxin presence in foods. Herein, recent developments in several important aspects impacting aflatoxin contamination of the food supply, including: fungal producers of the toxin, occurrence in food, worldwide regulations, detection methods, preventive strategies, and removal and degradation methods were reviewed and presented. In conclusion, aflatoxin continues to be a major food safety problem, especially in developing countries where regulatory limits do not exist or are not adequately enforced. Finally, knowledge gaps and current challenges in each discussed aspect were identified, and new solutions were proposed.     

Mycotoxin exposure and human cancer risk: A systematic review of epidemiological studies

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in investigating the carcinogenicity of mycotoxins in humans. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of data linking exposure to different mycotoxins with human cancer risk. Publications (2019 and earlier) of case–control or longitudinal cohort studies were identified in PubMed and EMBASE. These articles were then screened by independent reviewers and their quality was assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Animal, cross‐sectional, and molecular studies satisfied criteria for exclusion. In total, 14 articles were included: 13 case–control studies and 1 longitudinal cohort study. Included articles focused on associations of mycotoxin exposure with primary liver, breast, and cervical cancer. Overall, a positive association between the consumption of aflatoxin‐contaminated foods and primary liver cancer risk was verified. Two case–control studies in Africa investigated the relationship between zearalenone and its metabolites and breast cancer risk, though conflicting results were reported. Two case–control studies investigated the association between hepatocellular carcinoma and fumonisin B1 exposure, but no significant associations were observed. This systematic review incorporates several clear observations of dose‐dependent associations between aflatoxins and liver cancer risk, in keeping with IARC Monograph conclusions. Only few human epidemiological studies investigated the associations between mycotoxin exposures and cancer risk. To close this gap, more in‐depth research is needed to unravel evidence for other common mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A. The link between mycotoxin exposures and cancer risk has mainly been established in experimental studies, and needs to be confirmed in human epidemiological studies to support the evidence‐based public health strategies.     

中性氧化铝柱净化-UPLC-MS/MS法测定乳和乳制品中黄曲霉毒素M_1

建立了中性氧化铝固相萃取柱净化,超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(UPLC-MS/MS)测定乳和乳制品中黄曲霉毒素M1的分析方法。样品经乙腈提取,乙酸锌辅助沉淀蛋白,中性氧化铝SPE柱净化,以乙腈和0.1%甲酸水溶液作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,以电喷雾离子源(ESI)在正离子多反应监测(MRM)模式下进行测定,外标法定量。结果表明,黄曲霉毒素M1在0.1~50μg/L浓度范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数(r2)大于0.99;空白样品加标回收率在70.8%~79.2%之间,相对标准偏差小于8%。方法检出限为0.02μg/kg,定量限为0.05μg/kg。该方法实用、准确、灵敏,适用于乳和乳制品中黄曲霉毒素M1的测定。     

In vitro model to assess the adsorption of oral veterinary drugs to mycotoxin binders in a feed- and aflatoxin B1-containing buffered matrix

Mycotoxin binders are feed additives which are mixed in the feed to adsorb mycotoxins and thereby reducing their toxic effects on animals. Interactions with orally administered veterinary medicinal products, such as antimicrobials or coccidiostats, have been reported previously. This paper describes an in vitro model to screen the interaction between mycotoxin binders and veterinary drugs with respect to the non-specific binding of drugs. It is designed as a static setup using a single concentration of drug and binder in a feed-containing or a feed-plus-mycotoxin-containing matrix, buffered at different pH values. The model was applied to two frequently used antimicrobials in veterinary medicine, doxycycline (DOX) and tylosin (TYL), one major mycotoxin, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and four mycotoxin binders. Proportions of feed, DOX or TYL, AFB1, and binder are equivalent to the in vivo situation for broiler chickens, while pH and volume of the buffer are representative of the gastrointestinal tract of chickens. A substantial binding of DOX (~ 88%) and TYL (~ 66%) to the feed-matrix was observed. For the mycotoxin binders, similar results were obtained for DOX and TYL; more specifically up to an inclusion rate of 20 g binder/kg feed, no significant binding was demonstrated, determined as the free concentration of DOX and TYL. A single exception was noticed for TYL and one specific bentonite-based mycotoxin binder, for which no significant interaction could be demonstrated up to 10 g binder/kg but there was an effect at 20 g/kg. In all cases, there was no competition between the tested drugs DOX or TYL and the mycotoxin AFB1 for binding to the bentonite-based mycotoxin binder.     

Comparison of two Analytical Methods (ELISA and LC-MS/MS) for Determination of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn and Aflatoxin M1 in Milk

The aim of this paper is to assess the closeness of agreement between results of ELISA and LC-MS/MS methods for determination of aflatoxin B₁ in corn and aflatoxin M₁ in milk. Samples of corn (n=100) and milk (n=250) were simultaneously analyzed using ELISA and LC-MS/MS methods, after the severe drought that affected Serbia in summer 2012 resulting in occurrence of aflatoxin B1 in corn and aflatoxin M₁ in milk. Regression analysis showed higher level of agreement between aflatoxin B₁ samples (R²=0.994), compared to aflatoxin M₁ samples (R²=0.920). However, both techniques were satisfactory in meeting the requirements for official control purposes.     

Influences of pretreatment and drying methods on composition,micro/molecular structures and some health‐related functional characteristics of dietary fibre powder from orange pulp residues

Influences of pretreatment methods (washing, blanching, soaking in ethanol), drying methods (hot air‐drying, infrared‐drying, microwave‐drying) and drying temperature on selected characteristics of dietary fibre powder from orange pulp residues were investigated. Pretreatments improved the hydration properties, oil‐holding capacity and glucose dialysis retardation index, but led to losses of fibres, decreased α‐amylase inhibitory activity and aflatoxin B₁ adsorption capacity. Hydration properties, oil‐holding capacity and glucose uptake depended on the structure and porosity of the fibre, while the ability to inhibit α‐amylase and AFB₁ adsorption depended more on the content and molecular fingerprinting of the fibre. Drying condition did not significantly affect functional properties of the fibre, except for the ability to uptake glucose, inhibit α‐amylase and adsorb AFB₁ (P ≤ 0.05). Hot air‐drying at 60 °C resulted in fibre with the highest ability to decrease the rate of glucose and AFB₁ adsorption.     

酶联免疫定量测试盒法测定黄曲霉毒素B_1的方法探讨

本文主要通过pH值、阳离子(如Cu2+、Fe3+等)、溶液呈色(如红曲)三方面来探讨酶联免疫测试盒法测定黄曲霉毒素B1时,用甲醇水溶液提取样品中黄曲霉毒素B1的提取方法易出现假阳性,干扰测定,必须进一步用三氯甲烷来提取黄曲霉毒素B1以消除假阳性、排除干扰,提高测定数据的准确性。     

Delivery systems for biological control agents to manage aflatoxin contamination of pre-harvest maize

While soil application of a competitive non-toxigenic Aspergillus flavus strains is successful in reducing aflatoxin contamination in certain crops, direct application to aerial reproductive structures could be more effective for maize. A sprayable, clay-based water-dispersible granule formulation was developed to deliver non-toxigenic A. flavus strain K49 directly to maize ears. The efficacy of the K49 water-dispersible granule in mitigating aflatoxin in maize (Zea mays L.) was evaluated. Field studies were conducted to compare K49 colonization and effectiveness in reducing aflatoxin contamination when applied either as a soil inoculant or as a directed spray in plots infested with toxigenic strain F3W4. Fifty percent of non-toxigenic A. flavus was recovered from non-treated controls and from plots soil inoculated with K49 on wheat. In spray treatments with formulated or unformulated K49 conidia, over 90% of A. flavus recovered was non-toxigenic. Soil-applied K49 reduced aflatoxin contamination by 65% and spray applications reduced contamination by 97%. These findings suggest direct spray application of non-toxigenic A. flavus strains may be better than soil inoculation at controlling maize aflatoxin contamination and that a water-dispersible granule is a viable delivery system for maintaining viability and efficacy of the biological control agent, K49.     

Aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxins in ground red chilli pepper after drying

In this study, 180 red chilli pepper (RCP) berry samples were obtained from two different croplands of Gaziantep and Kahramanmara? (Turkey) in August, September and October. RCP berry samples were dried under sunlight and grinded. Ground red chilli pepper (GRCP) samples were analysed for aflatoxins (AFs, sum of B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂) and AFB₁ contamination. According to the results, in 49 of 180 samples, AFB₁ and in 37 samples, AFs were higher than legal limits. The lowest amounts of AFs and AFB₁ were obtained in August and the highest amounts in October. χ² analysis showed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between cities among 3 months according to number of samples with AFs and AFB₁ above legal limits. According to the Duncan multiple-range test, there was no significant difference between all months. Strict measures are necessary to produce high-quality GRCP. RCP berry must be treated to reduce moulds before production of GRCP.