Ochratoxin A and Sterigmatocystin in Long-Ripened Grana Cheese: Occurrence, Wheel Rind Contamination and Effectiveness of Cleaning Techniques on Grated Products.

A survey on the occurrence of ochratoxin A (OTA) and sterigmatocystin (STC) in grated cheese products obtained from hard grana-type cheeses was carried out, where 107 grated products were collected in retail outlets and analysed. OTA and STC were found in 48.6% and 94.

ENSO Climate Forcing of the Marine Mercury Cycle in the Peruvian Upwelling Zone Does Not Affect Methylmercury Levels of Marine Avian Top Predators.

Climate change is expected to affect marine mercury (Hg) biogeochemistry and biomagnification. Recent modeling work suggested that ocean warming increases methylmercury (MeHg) levels in fish. Here, we studied the influence of El Niño Southern Oscillations (ENSO) on Hg concentrations and stable isotopes in time series of seabird blood from the Peruvian upwelling and oxygen minimum zone.

Marine heatwaves in the Humboldt current system: from 5-day localized warming to year-long El Niños.

During the last 4 decades punctual occurrences of extreme ocean temperatures, known as marine heatwaves (MHWs), have been regularly disrupting the coastal ecosystem of the Peru-Chile eastern boundary upwelling system. In fact, this coastal system and biodiversity hot-spot is regularly impacted by El Niño events, whose variability has been related to the longest and most intense MHWs in the world ocean. However the intensively studied El Niños tend to overshadow the MHWs of shorter duration that are significantly more common in the region.

toxins in tomato products in Northern Italy in the period 2017-2019.

The occurrence of tenuazonic acid (TeA), alternariol, alternariol monomethyl and tentoxin in tomato-based products was surveyed over the years 2017-2019. A total of 120 samples were collected from retail outlets and tomato-based food producers located in Northern Italy. After extraction and purification through prepacked columns, the mycotoxins were analysed using LC-MS/MS.

Modelling Fungal Growth, Mycotoxin Production and Release in Grana Cheese.

No information is available in the literature about the influence of temperature (T) on and spp. growth and mycotoxin production on cheese rinds. The aim of this work was to: (i) study fungal ecology on cheese in terms of T requirements, focusing on the partitioning of mycotoxins between the rind and mycelium; and (ii) validate predictive models previously developed by in vitro trials.

and Interaction: Modeling the Impact on Mycotoxin Production.

The influence of climate change on agricultural systems has been generally accepted as having a considerable impact on food security and safety. It is believed that the occurrence of mycotoxins will be greatly affected by future climate scenarios and this has been confirmed by recent data. Temperature () and CO increases, variation in rain intensity and distribution, as well as extreme weather events, affect the dominant fungal species in different ways, depending on their ecological needs.

LC-MS/MS and LC-UV Determination of Moniliformin by Adding Lanthanide Ions to the Mobile Phase.

An innovative chromatographic analysis was developed for the determination of moniliformin (MON). Because of its ionic nature, MON is weakly retained in reversed-phase chromatography and the separation may be tricky. Nevertheless, this technique is normally used either with the formation of ion pairs or employing specific RP columns for polar compounds, or combining anion exchange and hydrophobic interactions.

Correction: Mauro, A., et al. Biological Control Products for Aflatoxin Prevention in Italy: Commercial Field Evaluation of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Active Ingredients. Toxins 2018, 10, 30.

The authors wish to make the following correction to their paper [...

Mitigation measures for acrylamide reduction in dough-based potato snacks during their expansion by frying.

Acrylamide (AA) can occur in fried and baked food products which contain reducing sugars and free asparagine. Recently, the European Commission established mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of AA in food. The content of reducing sugars in raw materials and the temperature and time of the expansion process by frying were considered in this study of the preparation of dough-based potato snacks, mainly destined for children.

Fate of mycotoxins and related fungi in the anaerobic digestion process.

In this study, the possibility to manage maize contaminated with aflatoxins and fumonisins for the production of biogas was considered. This is a priority in the climate change scenario that is expected to increase the occurrence of aflatoxins in maize. The results clearly underline how the anaerobic digestion process used in biogas plants is able to reduce aflatoxin contamination, mainly when highly contaminated maize is used for feeding the biodigestors without affecting the efficiency of methane production.

MycoKey Round Table Discussions of Future Directions in Research on Chemical Detection Methods, Genetics and Biodiversity of Mycotoxins.

MycoKey, an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project, includes a series of "Roundtable Discussions" to gather information on trending research areas in the field of mycotoxicology. This paper includes summaries of the Roundtable Discussions on Chemical Detection and Monitoring of mycotoxins and on the role of genetics and biodiversity in mycotoxin production. Discussions were managed by using the nominal group discussion technique, which generates numerous ideas and provides a ranking for those identified as the most important.

Biological Control Products for Aflatoxin Prevention in Italy: Commercial Field Evaluation of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Active Ingredients.

Since 2003, non-compliant aflatoxin concentrations have been detected in maize produced in Italy. The most successful worldwide experiments in aflatoxin prevention resulted from distribution of atoxigenic strains of to displace aflatoxin-producers during crop development. The displacement results in lower aflatoxin concentrations in harvested grain.

Survey on acrylamide in roasted coffee and barley and in potato crisps sold in Italy by a LC-MS/MS method.

A survey on the occurrence of acrylamide (AA) in roasted coffee, barley, and potato crisps was carried out using an intra-lab validated liquid chromatography (LC)-MS (mass spectrometry)/MS method. Over the years 2015-2016, 66 samples of coffee, 22 of roasted barley, and 22 of potato crisps were collected from retail outlets in Italy. AA was detected in almost all samples.

Sterigmatocystin Occurrence in Paddy and Processed Rice Produced in Italy in the Years 2014-2015 and Distribution in Milled Rice Fractions.

The occurrence of sterigmatocystin (STC) in paddy and processed rice samples produced in Italy was surveyed. After extraction and purification, STC was analysed using HPLC-MS/MS. STC was detected in all paddy rice samples ( = 49), in the range 0.

Modeling Growth and Toxin Production of Toxigenic Fungi Signaled in Cheese under Different Temperature and Water Activity Regimes.

The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro and model the effect of temperature (T) and water activity () conditions on growth and toxin production by some toxigenic fungi signaled in cheese. , , , , , , , were considered they were grown under different T (0-40 °C) and (0.78-0.

Co-occurrence of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and citrinin in "egusi" melon (Colocynthis citrullus L.) seeds consumed in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The natural co-occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) in melon seed samples obtained from retailers and households in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) was evaluated. AFs and OTA were determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection while CIT was analysed by HPLC-MS/MS. AFB1 was detected in all (100%) samples (mean = 9.

Analysis of sterigmatocystin in cereals, animal feed, seeds, beer and cheese by immunoaffinity column clean-up and HPLC and LC-MS/MS quantification.

A method is reported for the analysis of sterigmatocystin in various food and feed matrices using a commercial sterigmatocystin immunoaffinity column (IAC) for sample clean-up prior to HPLC analysis by UV with mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS). Cereals (wheat, oats, rye, maize and rice), sunflower seeds and animal feed were spiked with sterigmatocystin at levels from 0.75 to 50 µg kg(-1) to establish method performance.

Enzyme-assisted extraction for the HPLC determination of aflatoxin M1 in cheese.

The extraction of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) from cheese is generally carried out using chlorinated organic solvents. In this study, two innovative methods were developed, based on an enzyme-assisted (EA) extraction using proteolytic enzymes (pepsin or pepsin-pancreatin). After purification through an immunoaffinity column, AFM1 is determined by HPLC-FLD.

Co-occurrence of type A and B trichothecenes and zearalenone in wheat grown in northern Italy over the years 2009-2011.

The occurrence of the most widespread type A and B trichothecenes and of zearalenone was surveyed in soft and durum wheat produced in northern Italy. A total of 293 wheat fields, grown in the years 2009-2011, were surveyed; for each field, weather and cropping system data were collected. The results indicated a high deoxynivalenol incidence, with durum always more contaminated than soft wheat; in 2010, the percentage of durum wheat samples exceeding the European Commission legal limit was 39.

Nutrition and Ageing.

The world elderly population is rapidly increasing. This demographic change represents a new challenge for the society and demands for a multisectorial intervention to promote a long, healthy, and active life span. Between the factors that contribute in fostering a long healthy life, the nutritional regime plays a central role and is recognized as a major factor in the onset of chronic diseases.

Structure of an Aspergillus flavus population from maize kernels in northern Italy.

In order to gain insight into the causal agents of aflatoxin contamination of maize in Italy, populations of Aspergillus flavus on maize produced in the most affected area were characterized. Forty-six percent of A. flavus, isolated from maize kernels collected in 5 districts of northern Italy between 2003 and 2010, were unable to produce detectable levels of aflatoxins.

Plasma ochratoxin A levels, food consumption, and risk biomarkers of a representative sample of men and women from the Molise region in Italy.

Background: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin present in food that can be found in human blood, due to its long half-life. Plasma OTA detection represents a good parameter for evaluating the exposure at the population level.

Purpose: The relation between plasma OTA levels, dietary habits, and specific disease risk biomarkers (body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cardiovascular risk score) was investigated.

Enzyme-assisted extraction for the HPLC determination of ochratoxin A in pork and dry-cured ham.

The extraction of ochratoxin A from meat products is generally carried out using chlorinated organic solvents, such as chloroform or methyl chloride, acidified with hydrochloric or o-phosphoric acid. In this study, an innovative method was developed to extract ochratoxin A from pork and dry-cured ham samples. The method was based on an enzyme-assisted extraction with pancreatin in phosphate buffer pH 7.

Field control of Fusarium ear rot, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), and fumonisins in maize kernels.

Background: A 6 year study was conducted to evaluate the possible support of pesticides in mitigating mycotoxin contamination in maize grown in northern Italy. Different pesticides to control Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (ECB), Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenb.

The presence of ochratoxin A in cord serum and in human milk and its correspondence with maternal dietary habits.

Background: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin present in food that can be found in human blood and milk.

Purpose: The link between the nutritional habits of pregnant women both of Italian and foreign nationality resident in Italy and the presence of ochratoxin A in cord blood and in maternal milk was investigated.

Methods: The study involved 130 pregnant women.