Assessment of mycotoxins co‐occurrence in Italian dried figs and in dried figs‐based products

Abstract

The possible contamination by aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisin B1 (FB1), fusaric acid (FA), and beauvericin (BEA), was investigated in 55 samples of dried figs and dried figs‐based products purchased from the South Italy (Calabria) market. A total of 41 samples showed contamination by at least one of the mycotoxins investigated. Aflatoxin B1 was found in six samples (0.19 — 8.41 μg/kg) total aflatoxins were found in 13 samples (0.5–17.12 μg/kg), OTA was found in 21 samples (<LOQ—158.58 μg/kg), FB1 was found in eight samples (153.81–5,412.96 μg/kg), BEA was found in 12 samples (<LOQ—5,708.49 μg/kg), and FA was found in 28 samples (<LOQ—74,520.20 μg/kg). The analyzed samples were contaminated with one (41.8%), two (7.3%), three (5.5%), four (10.9%), and five (5.5%) mycotoxins. To the best of our knowledge, the incidence of contamination by FA and BEA has been shown for the first time in dried figs. Practical applications The present work was focused on mycotoxin mixtures contamination levels of dried figs and dried figs‐based products. It is known that the co‐occurrence of mycotoxins leads to additive or synergistic effects. For some analyzed samples the AFB1, aflatoxins, and ochratoxin A (OTA) levels exceed the European Union countries legal limit. In addition, the simultaneous presence of FB1, FA, and BEA can be a potential threat to the health of consumers. Although different studies examined AFs, OTA, and Fusarium toxins as single mycotoxins in dried figs, to our knowledge, the co‐occurrence of AFs, OTA, FB1, FA, and BEA in dried figs and in dried figs‐based products samples has not been reported previously. Therefore, to prevent mycotoxins contamination, the employment of good practices in all the processing steps is necessary. Furthermore, the quality control of the ingredients used in figs preparations (spices, other dried fruits, cocoa, etc.), usually not adequately, is essential. Finally, it is of importance to establish more stringent rules to ensure food safety, even if no legal limit was still set for Fusarium toxins in dried fruit.

Profiles of fungal metabolites including regulated mycotoxins in individual dried Turkish figs by LC-MS/MS

“…All OTAcontaminated figs were found in the low or medium category of fluorescence in 2017, but none of the six figs contained detectable aflatoxin B 1 . The natural occurrence of OTA in dried figs has previously been reported (Heperkan et al 2012;Di Sanzo et al 2018;Senyuva et al 2005;Senyuva and Gilbert 2008). Although OTA is not regulated in the EU in dried figs, a maximum limit of 10 μg/kg applies to dried vine fruit (EC 2006b) and therefore, by extrapolation, levels of OTA from 59 to 11,400 μg/kg are clearly unacceptable, notwithstanding the dilution implicit in application of the appropriate sampling plan (EC 2006a).…”

“…Beauvericin (BEA) was found in 36% of the 2017 figs but only in 2% of the 2018 figs BEA is one of the so-called emerging Fusarium mycotoxins (Jajic et al 2019) which has been reported predominantly as occurring in cereals and was previously found in dried figs (Di Sanzo et al 2018). As an example of one of the more obscure fungal metabolites, levels of bikaverin were found in 19% of figs from 2017 but in only 3% figs from 2018.…”

The prevalence and risk assessment of aflatoxin in sesame based products

“…Due to the high toxicity of AFs, exposure to these contaminations could threaten human health. The Committee on Food Additives of Joint FAO/WHO (JECFA) recommends that the presence of mycotoxins in meals be minimized to reduce the potential risk (Di Sanzo et al, 2018). Therefore, in order to control AFs in food products, some regulations were established in many countries; the measurement and monitoring of AFs in food products are crucial (Sebaei et al, 2020).…”

Purity Assessment of Fumonisin B1 by Quantitative 1H NMR Spectroscopy

“…Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by members of the fungal genus Fusarium . Fumonisins contamination has been reported in maize and maize‐related products, as well as in other foods, including wheat, coffee, and dried figs . Fumonisins are structurally similar to sphingolipids and fumonisin toxicity is associated with the inhibition of ceramide synthase.…”