Changes in ochratoxin A and type B trichothecenes contained in wheat flour during dough fermentation and bread-baking

Ochratoxin A (OTA) and type B trichothecenes are mycotoxins that occur frequently in cereals and thus can be found in cereal by-products such as bread. The aim of this work was to study the variation of the levels of OTA, deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON) and nivalenol (NIV) during the bread-making process. This was done by using wheat flour spiked with different levels of toxins. Mycotoxin levels were controlled after fermentation of the dough with yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and after further baking at different temperature–time combinations. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the results showed a significant reduction in OTA level (p < 0.05) during fermentation of the dough. The reduction ranged between 29.8% and 33.5%, depending on the initial concentration of toxin in the flour. During this period, the level of the other mycotoxins studied was not modified. By contrast, in the baking phase there were significant changes in the levels of the four mycotoxins, although the reduction was similar under all the baking conditions. Considering all the temperature–time conditions tested, it can be concluded that during the baking period the average reduction of OTA, NIV, 3-ADON, and DON was 32.9%, 76.9%, 65.6%, and 47.9%, respectively.     

我国熟制坚果与籽类食品中霉菌及其毒素污染状况研究

目的 调查我国熟制坚果与籽类食品中霉菌及其毒素污染状况，掌握该类食品中霉菌及真菌毒素污染风险的关联性。方法 通过采集市售商品，检测霉菌及其毒素，采用内转录间区（ITS）测序法对样品中污染的霉菌进行属鉴定。结果 19.32%（560/2 912）的熟制坚果与籽类食品霉菌计数>25 CFU/g。单一、混合坚果超过该限值的比例分别为14.78%（322/2 178）和32.56%（239/734），差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。单一坚果中核桃超过该限值的比例最高，为24.10%（47/195），杏仁、巴达木和花生分别为17.44%（15/86）、16.81%（20/119）和16.22%（73/450），其余种类均在15%以下。对26份霉菌计数>25 CFU/g的样品进行真菌毒素检测，1份采自云南的花生检出白僵菌素污染量为16.37 μg/kg。ITS扩增子测序发现熟制坚果与籽类食品中主要污染曲霉属、交链孢霉属、念珠菌属等，和真菌毒素检出有相关性。结论 熟制坚果与籽类食品中霉菌污染较高，检出的霉菌属有产真菌毒素的风险，提示应加强该类食品中污染霉菌的监测、种属鉴定及产毒情况研究，掌握其污染途径和产毒规律，为开展风险评估，采取有效防控措施提供科学依据。     

适配体传感器在真菌毒素检测中的应用研究进展

真菌毒素是由真菌在其污染的食品中产生的有毒代谢产物，可引起人的急性或慢性中毒，因此，建立真菌毒素快速、准确的检测方法对保障食品安全至关重要。适配体是一种短的单链DNA或RNA分子，作为识别元件，适配体具有特异性强、稳定性好和易于合成、修饰的优点。适配体传感器在真菌毒素的检测中应用较广泛，本文总结了各种适配体传感器在真菌毒素检测中的应用研究进展，以期为实现真菌毒素的快速、准确、高效检测提供思路和方法。     

STUDIES ON THE MYCOFLORA OF MALT

The mycoflora of malt which caused gushing beer has been investigated and compared with the mycoflora of malt from nine malting plants in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and England. Malt which caused gushing beer was found to contain a high proportion of grains contaminated by Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus. The commonest species isolated were found to be Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus amstelodami. These fungi occurred on all malt samples investigated independent of their origin. The mycoflora on malt differs greatly from that found on barley. Evidence is presented showing that barley becomes contaminated during the malting process.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测小麦中19种真菌毒素

目的 建立超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法用于检测小麦中19种真菌毒素。方法 样品经乙腈?水?乙酸(70:29:1, V:V:V)振荡提取并低温高速离心后,直接用水稀释提取液并再次低温高速离心,上清液过膜后经C18柱分离,最后用三重四极杆质谱在多反应监测模式下外标法定量测定。结果 在最佳分析条件下,各真菌毒素靶标均获得良好线性范围,相关系数(r)均>0.999;检出限和定量限分别为0.001~5 μg/kg和0.003~15 μg/kg;在3个不同浓度下的加标回收率位于77.08%~119.77%之间,相对标准偏差为0.59%~9.99% (n=6)。结论 该方法具有操作简单、稳定可靠、检测通量高、检测成本低的优点,有望用于大批量小麦产品中真菌毒素质量安全风险评估筛查及验证分析,为政府部门粮食质量安全监管提供技术支撑。     

Natural occurrence of fumonisins and characteristics of pamonhas sweet type from Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT

Fresh and frozen pamonhas, a native Brazilian food made with sweet corn (Zea mays L.), similar to the Mexican tamal, which has been incorporated into the country’s diet, were investigated for fumonisins (FBs: FB₁ and FB₂) contamination and product characteristics. The laboratory conditions of the applied fumonisins method with liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection were validated. Five out of the total samples showed FBs contamination above the national maximum level of 1000–1500 µg/kg. Despite this, in 59.6% (31) of the samples FB₁ and in 23.1% (12) FB₂ could be detected. The pamonhas characteristics did not show uniformity among the brands surveyed. The moisture content of 59.4% and water activity of 0.97 for both (fresh and frozen) samples showed to be suitable conditions for fungal growth. One sample had a quite high pH. It is essential to establish guidance criteria for pamonha production by the regulatory agencies.     

Impact of durum wheat milling on deoxynivalenol distribution in the outcoming fractions

The milling behaviour of two naturally infected samples of durum wheat grain with contrasting levels of mycotoxins was studied. Although the two samples showed a similar milling behaviour, an increase of ～20% in deoxynivalenol (DON) levels was found in semolina from the sample containing the higher level of mycotoxin. However, even if the highest concentration of DON was found in fractions originating from the grain outer layers, the mycotoxin contamination in semolina and flours were not related to the amount of two compounds (ash or phytic acid) used to monitor these external tissues. The presence of the trichothecene-producing fungi in the inner-most semolina fraction was also shown using specific DNA primers and PCR amplification. Comparison of DON concentrations in the feed stock and corresponding output at each milling step or grinding of semolina fractions followed by sizing showed that concentration of mycotoxin occurs in the finest particles at the first processing steps. Therefore, DON contamination of milling fractions is not simply due to the presence of peripheral grain tissues.     

Assessment of the ochratoxin A production ability of Aspergillus tubingensis

Aspergillus tubingensis is a black Aspergillus frequently isolated from different agricultural products, including grapes. Conflicting results have been published in recent years about its ability to produce ochratoxin A (OTA), a potent nephrotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin. This study re-examined six A. tubingensis strains deposited in international culture collections for OTA production. OTA could not be detected in any A. tubingensis extract using HPLC coupled with a fluorescence detector (FLD), whereas it was easily detected in ochratoxigenic A. niger extracts used as positive control. The same outcome was obtained using LC-MS. The presence of other metabolites with retention times similar to the OTA signal in the A. tubingensis extracts or background noise of the growth media may be reasons for the misinterpretation of the chromatograms obtained by HPLC-FLD.