[Survey of Nitrate Ion Concentrations in Vegetables Cultivated in Plant Factories: Comparison with Open-Culture Vegetables].

A survey of nitrate-ion concentrations in plant-factory-cultured leafy vegetables was conducted. 344 samples of twenty-one varieties of raw leafy vegetables were examined using HPLC. The nitrate-ion concentrations in plant-factory-cultured leafy vegetables were found to be LOD-6,800 mg/kg.

Occurrence of four Fusarium mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, and HT-2 toxin, in wheat, barley, and Japanese retail food.

A survey of the contamination of wheat, barley, and Japanese retail food by four Fusarium mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), T-2 toxin (T-2), and HT-2 toxin (HT-2), was performed between 2010 and 2012. A method for the simultaneous determination of the four mycotoxins by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was validated by a small-scale interlaboratory study using two spiked wheat samples (DON was spiked at 20 and 100 μg/kg and ZEN, T-2, and HT-2 at 6 and 20 μg/kg in the respective samples). The recovery of the four mycotoxins ranged from 77.

Four-year surveillance for ochratoxin a and fumonisins in retail foods in Japan.

Between 2004 and 2007 we examined foods from Japanese retail shops for contamination with ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisins B(1), B(2), and B(3). A total of 1,358 samples of 27 different products were examined for OTA, and 831 samples of 16 different products were examined for fumonisins. The limits of quantification ranged from 0.

[Investigation of ochratoxin a, B and citrinin contamination in various commercial foods].

Ochratoxin A (OTA), ochratoxin B (OTB) and citrinin (CIT) in commercial foods were simultaneously determined and confirmed with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The samples examined were made up of cereal, fruit, coffee, and cacao products. The limits of quantification (S/N> or =10) of OTA, OTB and CIT were 0.

Occurrence of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and fumonisins in retail foods in Japan.

We conducted a survey of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2, ochratoxin A, and fumonisin B1, B2, and B3 contamination in various foods on the retail market in Japan in 2004 and 2005. The mycotoxins were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, or high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Aflatoxins were detected in 10 of 21 peanut butter samples; the highest concentration of aflatoxin B1 was 2.

Validation of an HPLC analytical method coupled to a multifunctional clean-up column for the determination of deoxynivalenol.

To evaluate a method using a multifunctional clean-up column coupled with high performance liquid chromatography as an official analytical method for the determination of deoxynivalenol in wheat used as food or feed, an inter-laboratory study was performed in 12 laboratories using four naturally contaminated wheat samples and one spiked sample. The relative standard deviations for repeatability (RSDr) and reproducibility (RSDR) of naturally contaminated wheat were in the range 5.8-11.

Inter-laboratory study for validation of a Japanese official analytical method for determination of patulin in apple juice.

To validate a modified version of AOAC official method of analysis 995.10 as an official standard in Japan for determination of patulin in apple juice, an inter-laboratory study was performed in 11 laboratories using a non-contaminated sample, 2 naturally contaminated samples and 2 spiked samples of apple juice. For naturally contaminated apple juices, the relative standard deviations for repeatability and reproducibility were 3.

[The problem and improvement of colorimetric method for determination of sulfite in foods containing sulfur compounds].

The modified Rankine colorimetric method for measuring sulfite added to food as a food additive has a low determination limit and is little influenced by interfering substances from foods. However, it can give erroneous results for foods containing Liliaceae Allium. So, four different methods, alkaline titration, a colorimetric method, ion chromatography and qualitative analysis with potassium iodate-starch paper, were examined.

A quantification and confirmation method of patulin in apple juice by GC/MS.

A sensitive and selective method for quantification and confirmation of patulin in apple juice by GC/MS was developed. By this method, patulin was precisely determined and confirmed down to the level of 1 and 5 microg/kg in samples, respectively. Patulin was extracted with ethyl acetate from a sample and then hexane was added to the concentrated extract solution.

[Production of tyramine in "moromi" mash during soy sauce fermentation].

The concentrations of 7 non-volatile amines, tyramine (Tym), histamine (Him), phenethylamine (Phm), putrescine (Put), cadaverine (Cad), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) in the liquid part of "moromi" mash during soy sauce fermentation were studied. These amines, except for him and Cad, were detected during fermentation by the conventional production method in the laboratory. Put and Spd were detected at the beginning, and Tym, Phm and Spm appeared later; these 5 amines increased gradually during the fermentation.

Degradation of Aflatoxins by Food Additives.

Degradation of four aflatoxins (AFB, AFB, AFG and AFG) by food additives was investigated. Pure aflatoxins were degraded by treatment with solutions of acidic food additives (hydrochloric acid:HCl and sulfuric acid:HSO), alkaline food additives (sodium bicarbonate:NaHCO, sodium carbonate:NaCO, sodium hydroxide:NaOH, sodium sulfite:NaSO, and sodium hypochlorite:NaOCl) and neutral food additives (potassium metabisulfite:KSO, sodium bisulfite:NaHSO, sodium hydrosulfite:NaSO, hydrogen peroxide:HO, sodium chlorite:NaClO, and ammonium peroxodisulfate:(ÑH)SO). The aflatoxins were treated with these neutral food additives under several conditions, and the effects of treatment temperature, time, and concentration of food additives on aflatoxin degradation were studied.