No abstract

Mycotoxin contamination of dietary supplements represents a possible risk for human health, especially in the case of products intended for people suffering from certain health conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of this problem based on analyses of a wide set of herbal-based dietary supplements intended for various purposes: (i) treatment of liver diseases (milk thistle); (ii) reduction of menopause effects (red clover, flax seed, and soy); and (iii) preparations for general health support (green barley, nettle, goji berries, yucca, etc.) The analytical method including 57 mycotoxins was based on a QuEChERS-like (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) approach and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The main mycotoxins determined were Fusarium trichothecenes, zearalenone and enniatins, and Alternaria mycotoxins. Co-occurrence of enniatins, HT-2/T-2 toxins, and Alternaria toxins was observed in many cases. The highest mycotoxin concentrations were found in milk thistle-based supplements (up to 37 mg/kg in the sum).

Nguyen D., Nováková A., Spurná K., Hričko J., Phung H., Viktorová J., Stránská M., Hajšlová J., Ruml T. (2017): Antidiabetic compounds in stem juice from babana grown in natural and greenhouse. Czech J. Food Sci., 35: 407-413.The stem juices from Musa × paradisiaca L. banana plants cultivated in their original natural habitat in Vietnam and those cultivated in a greenhouse in the Czech Republic were investigated for the presence of phytochemicals with antidiabetic potency. Respective bioactivities of these phytochemicals were also determined. Sample screening using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPL-HRMS/MS) method showed some differences in the pattern of bioactive compounds, both in terms of their number and concentration. p-Hydroxybenzoic and gallic acids were the predominant analytes found in stem juice from plants grown in Vietnam, while ferulic acid was the major compound found in juice obtained from greenhouse bananas. Despite differences in the occurrence of potentially antidiabetic compounds, both extracts exhibited comparable inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and α-amylase.