Ochratoxin A contamination of cereal grains and coffee in Hungary in the year 2001

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin, a secondary metabolite produced by mould fungi belonging to several Aspergillus and Penicillium species. It is formed during the storage of cereal grains and other plant-derived products. OTA ingested by humans and animals with the food or feed may exert deleterious effects on health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ochratoxin contamination of the most important potential sources of OTA. The OTA content of cereal samples for human consumption (36 baking wheat, 16 wheat flour and 6 maize coarse meal samples) and feed grain samples (30 feeding wheat, 32 feeding maize and 20 feeding barley samples) collected in the mid-phase or at the end of the storage period and of 50 commercial coffee samples was determined. The analyses were performed by immunoaffinity column -high-performance liquid chromatography (IAC-HPLC). The limit of detection of the method was 0.1 ng/g. Of the wheat samples intended for human consumption, 8.3% contained OTA at 0.29 ng/g on the average (OTA ranges: 0.12-0.5 ng/g; Table 2). The OTA contamination of wheat flour and maize meal samples for human consumption was similar to that of the baking wheat samples. OTA contamination was found in 26.7% of the feeding wheat, 15.6% of the feeding maize and 35% of the feeding barley samples. The average values and the ranges of OTA levels found in the above samples were 12.2 and 0.3-62.8 ng/g, 4.9 and 1.9-8.3 ng/g, and 72 and 0.14-212 ng/g, respectively (Table 3). Sixty-six percent of the coffee samples were contaminated with OA (average level: 0.57 ng/g, ranges: 0.17-1.3 ng/g; Table 4). OTA contamination of baking wheat samples was found to be relatively low, presumably as a result of the favourable weather at harvest and the optimal storage conditions. Calculations made on the basis of the obtained results show that the daily OTA intake of an adult human from edible cereals is only 6.7 ng, while the amount taken up with coffee is 4.1 ng daily. The high prevalence and high levels of OTA contamination in feed grains can be explained by the unfavourable storage conditions, and this finding suggests that OA-related health problems may arise in animals, and that foods of animal origin may be contaminated with this mycotoxin.

Natural occurrence of ochratoxin A in Tunisian cereals

“…OTA contamination level exceeded largely the maximum limit set in the EU regulation (5 lg/kg) (Commission Regulation EC, 2002 in 38% of positive wheat samples (Table 1). The contamination of wheat or derived products by OTA is a worldwide problem (Czerwiecki, Czajkowska, & Witkowska-Gwiazdowska, 2002;Fazekas, Tar, & Zomborszky-Kovacs, 2002;Speijers & Van Egmond, 1993;Tangni & Pussemier, 2006;Trucksess, Giler, Young, White, & Page, 1999), however, countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea presented high levels of OTA contamination, such as Morocco (Zinedine et al, 2006), Italy (Solfrizo et al, 1998) and Spain (Araguas et al, 2005). In Tunisia, wheat contamination by OTA seems to be higher.…”

Effect of vitamin E and polyphenols on ochratoxin A-induced cytotoxicity in liver (HepG2) cells

“…Its occurrence has been reported in cereal grains, coffee beans, nuts, wine, pork, beer, cheese and several spices (Fazekas et al, 2002;Studer-Rohr et al, 1995;Van Egmond and Speijers, 1994). A number of studies have suggested a role for OTA in the development of several types of cancer (Reijula and Tuomi, 2003;Schwartz, 2002).…”

Mycotoxins: Quality Management, Prevention, Metabolism, Toxicity and Biomonitoring

“…It also occurs in maize, rice, peas, beans and cowpeas; developing country origins of ochratoxin A include Brazil, Egypt, Chile, Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, India and Indonesia (Wild and Hall, 2000). The ability of OA to transfer from animal feeds to animal products has been demonstrated by the occurrence of this toxin in retail pork products, and the blood of pigs in Europe (Fazekas et al, 2001;Friensen et al, 2008). It has been suggested that pork products are a significant human dietary source of OA which has been found in blood (and milk) from individuals in a variety of European countries, such as France, Italy, Germany, Dewnmark, Sweden, Poland the former Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria ( Abarca et al, 2001)).…”