Fungal Growth and the Presence of Sterigmatocystin in Hard Cheese

Northolt, M. D.; Egmond, H. P. van; Soentoro, P.S.S.; Deijll, E.

doi:10.1093/jaoac/63.1.115

Cited by 30 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…Similar studies were also carried out by inoculating A. flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus mycotoxinogenic strains in cheese and both mycotoxins were again (Lie and Marth ). Sterigmatocystin (STC) was detected and quantified in the surface layer of A. versicolor contaminated hard cheeses at levels ranging from 5 and 600 μg/kg (Northolt and others ). In white cheese, CPA was detected from 0.5 to 1.5 μg/g (Le Bars ) and from 0.02 to 0.08 mg/kg (Zambonin and others ).…”

Section: Mycotoxins In Cheesementioning

confidence: 99%

“…STC has indeed been detected in A. versicolor ‐contaminated cheeses (Scott ). Northolt and others () reported STC occurrence during cheese (Gouda and Edam) ripening in warehouses in the Netherlands. STC was stable in contaminated cheeses for a 3‐mo period at various temperatures (−18 to +16 °C) (van Egmond ).…”

Section: Mycotoxins In Cheesementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The biosynthetic genes and regulation involved in AF and STC synthesis have been extensively documented in Aspergillus species (Keller and Hohn ; Minto and Townsend ; Payne and Brown ; Brown and others ; Yu and others ; Yabe and Nakajima ; Georgianna and Payne ; Huffman and others ) including A. flavus (pathway discovered in this AF producing cheese contaminant) (Barrios and others ; Mogensen and others ) and A. parasiticus (Yu and others ). In regards to cheese contamination and as previously stated, detection of these mycotoxins in cheeses is typically due to indirect cheese contamination via feedstuffs (this is the case for AFs and AFM1 produced by Aspergillus species on feedstuffs that are further detected in milk and cheese) or postcontamination (mostly relates to STC in cheese due to A. versicolor mold growth on cheese surfaces (Northolt and others ). Among the studied chesse‐related and noncheese‐related species, gene organization can differ and may indicate different evolutionary histories; this is the case of A. nidulans and A. flavus (Cary and others ).…”

Section: Mycotoxin Biosynthetic Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Filamentous Fungi and Mycotoxins in Cheese: A Review

Hymery

Vasseur

Coton

et al. 2014

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

155

111

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Important fungi growing on cheese include Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Mucor, and Trichoderma. For some cheeses, such as Camembert, Roquefort, molds are intentionally added. However, some contaminating or technological fungal species have the potential to produce undesirable metabolites such as mycotoxins. The most hazardous mycotoxins found in cheese, ochratoxin A and aflatoxin M1, are produced by unwanted fungal species either via direct cheese contamination or indirect milk contamination (animal feed contamination), respectively. To date, no human food poisoning cases have been associated with contaminated cheese consumption. However, although some studies state that cheese is an unfavorable matrix for mycotoxin production; these metabolites are actually detected in cheeses at various concentrations. In this context, questions can be raised concerning mycotoxin production in cheese, the biotic and abiotic factors influencing their production, mycotoxin relative toxicity as well as the methods used for detection and quantification. This review emphasizes future challenges that need to be addressed by the scientific community, fungal culture manufacturers, and artisanal and industrial cheese producers.

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Section: Mycotoxins In Cheesementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mycotoxins In Cheesementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mycotoxin Biosynthetic Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Filamentous Fungi and Mycotoxins in Cheese: A Review

Hymery

Vasseur

Coton

et al. 2014

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

155

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The toxin was not found in the inner part of the same positive samples. STC was detected also in the outer layer (1-2 cm) of mouldy cheese with concentrations up to 9000 µg/kg in the Netherlands (Northolt et al, 1980;Northolt and van Egmond, 1982) and in Egypt, where 100 samples of hard cheese were analysed using TLC (Abd Alla et al, 1996;Metwally et al, 1997). From the 100 samples, 35 samples contained STC with a mean value of 24 µg/kg and a range between 10 and 63 µg/kg.…”

Section: Cheesementioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Opinion on the risk for public and animal health related to the presence of sterigmatocystin in food and feed

2013

EFSA Journal

129

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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked by the European Commission to deliver a scientific opinion on sterigmatocystin (STC) in food and feed. STC is a polyketide mycotoxin that shares its biosynthetic pathway with aflatoxins. Following an EFSA call for data, analytical results from 247 food and 334 feed samples were submitted. In food, analytical results on STC were reported to be all below the limit of detection or limit of quantification. In feed, only four quantified results were reported. Therefore, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) concluded that the available occurrence data are too limited to carry out a reliable human and animal dietary exposure assessment. Acute oral toxicity of STC is relatively low, and liver and kidneys are the target organs. STC is mutagenic in both bacterial and mammalian cells after metabolic activation and forms DNA adducts. Tumourigenicity has been observed after oral, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous and dermal administration resulting in hepatocellular carcinomas, haemangiosarcomas in the liver, angiosarcomas in brown fat and lung adenomas. Since no exposure data were available, the margin of exposure approach for substances that are genotoxic and carcinogenic could not be applied for STC, and thus the CONTAM Panel could not characterise the risk for human health. Regarding animals, the Panel noted that STC is hepatotoxic in poultry and pigs, and nephrotoxic in poultry and toxic in several fish species. However, in the absence of exposure data for livestock, fish and companion animals, and given the limited knowledge on the adverse effects of STC, the CONTAM Panel could not characterise the risk for animal health. More occurrence data on STC in food and feed need to be collected to allow dietary exposure assessment. For food, methods with a limit of quantification of less than 1.5 µg/kg should be applied. Analytical methods for STC in food and feed based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) reach the lowest limits of detection (LOD). However, the sensitivity varies between individual matrices and whether a single or multi-analyte method is applied. So far, no certified reference materials are available for STC. In addition, no proficiency tests for STC analysis in food or feed could be identified.In the literature, only limited information is available on the occurrence of STC in different foods and feed. Most of the earlier studies using methods with rather high LODs/limits of quantification (LOQ) report a high percentage of left-censored data (often 100 %) on food and feed. Two recent studies using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method with an LOD of 0.15 µg/kg and an LOQ of 0.3 µg/kg reported STC positive samples of bread and of grain intended for use as animal feed. While these data indicate that these methods are sufficiently sensitive to quantify STC in food and feed, the data were insufficient to use for a reliable exposure assessment.Moreover, STC has been occasionally reported t...

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“…Sterigmatocystin is produced by several species of the genus Aspergillus and by other fungal genera. It is of concern because its structure is very similar to that of aflatoxin and it also exhibits carcinogenic and mutagenic properties (Purchase and van der Watt, 1973; Ueno et al, 19781. Although the genera that produce this toxin are widely distributed among agricultural commodities, there are very few reports on the natural WOOD occurrence of this toxin (Schroeder and Hein, 1977;Northolt et al, 1980). In a survey conducted by the FDA during 1974 and 1975, no sterigmatocystin was found in any of 574 grain samples examined (Stoloff, 1982).…”

Section: No Ochratoxin a Was Found In Sorghummentioning

confidence: 99%

Mycotoxins in foods and feeds in the United States

Wood

1992

Journal of Animal Science

154

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Mycotoxins are considered unavoidable contaminants in foods and feeds because agronomic technology has not yet advanced to the stage at which preharvest infection of susceptible crops by fungi can be eliminated. The aflatoxins have received greater attention than any of the other mycotoxins because of their demonstrated carcinogenic effects in susceptible animals and their acute toxic effects in humans. Since 1965, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has enforced regulatory limits on the concentrations of these toxins in foods and feeds involved in interstate commerce. The FDA routinely monitors the food and feed industries through compliance programs to ensure that the levels of exposure to these toxins are kept as low as practical. This report summarizes data generated from compliance programs on aflatoxins for the fiscal years 1989, 1990, and the first half of 1991. Commodities sampled included peanuts and peanut products, tree nuts, corn and corn products, cottonseed, and milk. Higher than usual levels of contamination were found in corn examined from all areas of the United States in 1989 as a result of the severe drought that affected the 1988 corn crop. The drought in parts of the South and Southeast in 1990 resulted in increased contamination in corn and peanuts from those areas. A review of the surveillance data obtained on deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, sterigmatocystin, penicillic acid, and patulin over the years along with available toxicological data for these mycotoxins indicated that no regulatory actions were warranted. The lack of sufficient surveillance data on other mycotoxins that occur in the United States can be attributed in part to the unavailability of reliable analytical methodology.

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Fungal Growth and the Presence of Sterigmatocystin in Hard Cheese

Cited by 30 publications

References 0 publications

Filamentous Fungi and Mycotoxins in Cheese: A Review

Filamentous Fungi and Mycotoxins in Cheese: A Review

Scientific Opinion on the risk for public and animal health related to the presence of sterigmatocystin in food and feed

Mycotoxins in foods and feeds in the United States

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