Variation of Deoxynivalenol Levels in Corn and Its Products Available in Retail Markets of Punjab, Pakistan, and Estimation of Risk Assessment

Mycotoxins in grains (products), Gansu province, China and risk assessment

This study aimed to estimate the dietary exposure towards mycotoxins of residents in Gansu province, China, from 2014-2020 through surveillance data on mycotoxins in grains and grain products. Fumonisin B1 (FB1), Deoxynivalenol (DON), 3- and 15-Acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON and 15-ADON), Tentoxin (TEN), Tenuazonic acid (TeA) and Zearalenone (ZEN) in 863 grains and grain products were detected by HPLC-MS and UPLC-MS. DON was the most detected mycotoxin of all samples. For women, the average dietary exposure to DON was 1.49 μg/kg bw/day, with 55.8% of the individuals eating dried noodles exceeding tolerable daily intake. The hazard quotient values were 1.24-12.60, so greater than 1 for DON at the average, 90th percentile, 95th percentile, and maximum levels: 44.6% of the HQ values for men and 45.7% for women were greater than 1.

Deoxynivalenol Detoxification by a Novel Strain of Pichia kudriavzevii via Enzymatic Degradation and Cell Wall Adsorption

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin that significantly threatens the food and feed industry. Corn steep liquor (CSL) is an acidic byproduct of the corn starch industry, and DON is concentrated in CSL once the material is contaminated. In this work, a Pichia kudriavzevii strain that could remove DON from CSL was isolated and characterized. The strain P. kudriavzevii E4-205 showed detoxifying activity in a pH range of 4.0~7.0 and temperature of 25~42 °C, and 39.4% DON was reduced by incubating this strain in CSL supernatant diluted by 2-fold (5 μg/mL DON) for 48 h at pH 5.0 and 30 °C. Further mechanism studies showed that P. kudriavzevii E4-205 could adsorb DON by the cell wall and degrade DON by intracellular enzymes with NADH as a cofactor. The degradation product was identified as 3,7,8,15-tetrahydroxyscirpene by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. DON adsorption by inactivated cells was characterized, and the adsorption followed pseudo first-order kinetics. This study revealed a novel mechanism by which microbes degrade DON and might serve as a guide for the development of DON biological detoxification methods.

Variation of Aflatoxin Levels in Stored Edible Seed and Oil Samples and Risk Assessment in the Local Population

Five hundred and twenty samples of edible seeds and oilseeds (sunflower, palm, peanut, sesame, cotton, and grapeseed) were purchased from markets, farmers, and superstores in the central cities of Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 125 (48.1%) edible seed samples from a 6 ≤ months storage period, and 127 (48.8%) from a 2 ≥ years storage period were found to be infested with AFs. The average elevated amount of AFB1 and total AFs was observed in a 2 ≥ years storage period, i.e., 28.6 ± 4.5 and 51.3 ± 10.4 µg/kg, respectively, in sesame seeds. The minimum amount of AFB1 and total AFs was observed in palm seed samples with a storage period of 6 ≤ months, i.e., 9.96 ± 2.4, and 11.7 ± 1.90 µg/kg, respectively. The maximum amount of AFB1 and total AFs were observed in peanut oil samples, i.e., 21.43 ± 2.60 and 25.96 ± 4.30 µg/kg, respectively, with a storage period of 2 ≥ years. Therefore, the maximum dietary intake of 59.60 ng/kg/day was observed in oil samples stored at a ≥ 2 years storage period. The results of the present study concluded that a significant difference was found in the amounts of total AFs in edible seed samples stored at 6 ≤ months and 2 ≥ years storage periods (p < 0.05).

Occurrence and Exposure Assessment of Deoxynivalenol and Its Acetylated Derivatives from Grains and Grain Products in Zhejiang Province, China (2017–2020)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) together with its acetylated derivatives cause detrimental effects on human health, and the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of DON and its acetylated derivatives from grains and grain products in Zhejiang province, China, and to assess the risk of DON and its acetylated derivatives due to multiple consumptions of grains and grain products among the Zhejiang population. Food samples numbering 713 were collected, and the LC-MS/MS method was used to determine the toxins. The levels of toxins from grains and grain products were relatively low: DON was the toxin at the highest levels. The food frequency questionnaire was used to collect food consumption data. The result of exposure assessments showed that the population was overall at low levels of toxin exposure. The probable mean group daily intake of toxins was 0.21 μg/kg bw/day, which was far from the group provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 1 μg/kg bw/day, but 0.71% of participants were at high exposure levels. Rice and dried noodles (wheat-based food) were the main sources of toxin exposure, and reducing the consumption of rice and dried noodles while consuming more of other foods with lower levels of toxins is recommended.

The control of Fusarium growth and decontamination of produced mycotoxins by lactic acid bacteria

Global crop and food contamination with mycotoxins are one of the primary worldwide concerns, while there are several restrictions regarding approaching conventional physical and chemical mycotoxins decontamination methods due to nutrition loss, sensory attribute reduction in foods, chemical residual, inconvenient operation, high cost of equipment, and high energy consumption of some methods. In this regard, the overarching challenges of mycotoxin contamination in food and food crops require the development of biological decontamination strategies. Using certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as generally recognized safe (GRAS) compounds is one of the most effective alternatives due to their potential to release antifungal metabolites against various fungal factors species. This review highlights the potential applications of LAB as biodetoxificant agents and summarizes their decontamination activities against Fusarium growth and Fusarium mycotoxins released into food/feed. Firstly, the occurrence of Fusarium and the instrumental and bioanalytical methods for the analysis of mycotoxins were in-depth discussed. Upgraded knowledge on the biosynthesis pathway of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium offers new insightful ideas clarifying the function of these secondary metabolites. Moreover, the characterization of LAB metabolites and their impact on the decontamination of the mycotoxin from Fusarium, besides the main mechanisms of mycotoxin decontamination, are covered. While the thematic growth inhibition of Fusarium and decontamination of their mycotoxin by LAB is very complex, approaching certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is worth deeper investigations.