Mycotoxin risk management in maize gluten meal.

Maize gluten meal (MGM) is a by-product of maize starch and ethanol, produced by the wet milling process. Its high protein content makes it a preferred ingredient in feed. Given the high prevalence of mycotoxins in maize globally, they pose a significant challenge to use of MGM for feed: wet milling could concentrate certain mycotoxins in gluten components, and mycotoxin consumption affects animal health and can contaminate animal-source foods.

Development of a Linear Immobilization Carrier-Based Immunoassay for Aflatoxin.

We explored the feasibility of developing immunoassay technology with a linear carrier, to develop a simpler and cheaper rapid immunoassay technology. We selected aflatoxins as an example for research, as they are a group of highly toxic and carcinogenic compounds representing a worldwide threat to human health and life. With a non-competitive immunoassay, we detected and evaluated the effect of 28 different linear materials on antibody immobilization.

A Facile Route to Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous Carbon Micelle System for Bifunctional Electrochemical Application.

Well-ordered hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) nanomaterials have been successfully synthesized by a facile, efficient, and fast heated-evaporation induced self-assembly (HISA) method. A micelle system was employed as the template by using the HISA method for the first time, which possessed great potential in the large-scale production of HPC materials. Various surfactants, including triblock copolymer Pluronic F127, P123, F108, and cationic CTAB, were used in the polymerization process as templates to reveal the relationship between the structure of surfactants and architecture of the as-prepared HPCs.

Inhibitory effect of allyl and benzyl isothiocyanates on ochratoxin a producing fungi in grape and maize.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) and benzyl-isothiocyanate (BITC) on fungal growth and Ochratoxin A (OTA) production by Aspergillus ochraceus, A. carbonarius and A. niger.

[High expression of zearalenone degrading enzyme in Pichia pastoris].

High expression of zearalenone (ZEN) degrading enzyme gene (zlhy-6) in Pichia pastoris strain GS115 was achieved by codon optimization and multi-copy construction in vitro. The codon-optimized zlhy-6 gene sequence was synthesized with the alpha factor signal peptide coding sequence and inserted into the pAO815 plasmid. The expression plasmid containing 1-6 expression cassettes was constructed by enzyme digestion and transferred into P.

Morphological and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Inhibitory Effects of on Growth and Aflatoxin Production.

, as a natural bio-preservative, has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. In this study, 22 L strains were tested against the aflatoxin-producing fungus, ; strain IAMU80070 showed the highest antifungal activity. At a concentration of 5 × 10 colony-forming units (CFU) mL, it completely inhibited growth and decreased aflatoxin production by 93%.

The Complex Essential Oils Highly Control the Toxigenic Fungal Microbiome and Major Mycotoxins During Storage of Maize.

The contamination of maize with fungi and subsequent mycotoxins is a pivotal and long-standing safety concern in the maize industry. In this study, the inhibitory effects of the complex essential oils (cinnamaldehyde, citral, eugenol, and menthol, 3:3:2:2, v/v) on fungal growth and mycotoxins production in stored maize were evaluated using traditional plate counting, internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Complex essential oils (0.

The anti-aflatoxigenic mechanism of cinnamaldehyde in Aspergillus flavus.

Aflatoxin B (AFB), the predominant and most carcinogenic naturally polyketide, is mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Cinnamaldehyde has been reported for inhibiting the growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus.

The bZIP transcription factor Afap1 mediates the oxidative stress response and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus.

Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic secondary metabolite produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which can seriously endanger the health of humans and animals. Oxidative stress is a common defense response, and it is known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can induce the synthesis of a series of secondary metabolites, including aflatoxin. By using mutants lacking the afap 1 gene, the role of afap1 gene in oxidative stress and aflatoxin synthesis was assessed.

Effect of Cinnamaldehyde on Morphological Alterations of and Expression of Key Genes Involved in Ochratoxin A Biosynthesis.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a potent nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, and teratogenic compound which is a significant mycotoxin contaminates cereals during storage. is the most common producer of OTA in cereals and cereal-derived products. Cinnamaldehyde is a natural substance derived from plant cinnamon playing an important role in the reduction of OTA contamination.

Deoxynivalenol in wheat from the Northwestern region in China.

Because of global warming and changes in farming systems, Fusarium head blight has gradually spread towards high-latitude regions such as Northwestern China. A survey was conducted to assess the prevalence and concentration of deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat harvested during 2013 from the Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, and Xinjiang provinces in China. DON concentration in 181 wheat samples was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with ultraviolet detection.

A Consensus Ochratoxin A Biosynthetic Pathway: Insights from the Genome Sequence of Aspergillus ochraceus and a Comparative Genomic Analysis.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by and species that widely contaminates food and feed. We sequenced and assembled the complete ∼37-Mb genome of fc-1, a well-known producer of OTA. Key genes of the OTA biosynthetic pathway were identified by comparative genomic analyses with five other sequenced OTA-producing fungi: , , , , and OTA production was completely inhibited in the deletion mutants (Δ, Δ, Δ, Δ, and Δ), and OTA biosynthesis was restored by feeding a postblock substrate to the corresponding mutant.

pH-Signaling Transcription Factor AopacC Regulates Ochratoxin A Biosynthesis in Aspergillus ochraceus.

In Aspergillus and Penicillium species, an essential pH-response transcription factor pacC is involved in growth, pathogenicity, and toxigenicity. To investigate the connection between ochratoxin A (OTA) biosynthesis and ambient pH, the AopacC in Aspergillus ochraceus was functionally characterized using a loss-of-function mutant. The mycelium growth was inhibited under pH 4.

The Mycotoxin Zearalenone Hinders Biofilm Formation and Hyphal Morphogenesis.

Yeast-mold mycobiota inhabit several natural ecosystems, in which symbiotic relationships drive strategic pathoadaptation. Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by diverse mycotoxigenic fungi as a defense against yeasts, though at times yeasts secrete enzymes that degrade, detoxify, or bio-transform mycotoxins. The present study is focused on the in vitro inhibitory effects of zearalenone (ZEN), a F2 mycotoxin produced by several and species, on different microbial strains.

Aflatoxin B inhibition in Aspergillus flavus by Aspergillus niger through down-regulating expression of major biosynthetic genes and AFB degradation by atoxigenic A. flavus.

Twenty Aspergillus niger strains were isolated from peanuts and 14 strains were able to completely inhibit AFB production with co-cultivation. By using a Spin-X centrifuge system, it was confirmed that there are some soluble signal molecules or antibiotics involved in the inhibition by A. niger, although they are absent during the initial 24h of A.

Novel Aflatoxin-Degrading Enzyme from Bacillus shackletonii L7.

Food and feed contamination by aflatoxin (AF)B₁ has adverse economic and health consequences. AFB₁ degradation by microorganisms or microbial enzymes provides a promising preventive measure. To this end, the present study tested 43 bacterial isolates collected from maize, rice, and soil samples for AFB₁-reducing activity.

Toxin YafQ Reduces Escherichia coli Growth at Low Temperatures.

Toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems reduce metabolism under stress; for example, toxin YafQ of the YafQ/DinJ Escherichia coli TA system reduces growth by cleaving transcripts with in-frame 5'-AAA-G/A-3' sites, and antitoxin DinJ is a global regulator that represses its locus as well as controls levels of the stationary sigma factor RpoS. Here we investigated the influence on cell growth at various temperatures and found that deletion of the antitoxin gene, dinJ, resulted in both reduced metabolism and slower growth at 18°C but not at 37°C. The reduction in growth could be complemented by producing DinJ from a plasmid.

Variation in fungal microbiome (mycobiome) and aflatoxins during simulated storage of in-shell peanuts and peanut kernels.

Internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequencing was used to characterize the peanut mycobiome during 90 days storage at five conditions. The fungal diversity in in-shell peanuts was higher with 110 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 41 genera than peanut kernels (91 OTUs and 37 genera). This means that the micro-environment in shell is more suitable for maintaining fungal diversity.

Ochratoxin A Producing Fungi, Biosynthetic Pathway and Regulatory Mechanisms.

Ochratoxin A (OTA), mainly produced by Aspergillus and Penicillum species, is one of the most important mycotoxin contaminants in agricultural products. It is detrimental to human health because of its nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and immunosuppression. OTA structurally consists of adihydrocoumarin moiety linked with l-phenylalanine via an amide bond.

Variation in fungal microbiome (mycobiome) and aflatoxin in stored in-shell peanuts at four different areas of China.

The contamination of peanuts with Aspergillus sp. and subsequently aflatoxins is considered to be one of the most serious safety problems in the world. Mycobiome in peanuts is critical for aflatoxin production and food safety.

Inhibitory Effect of Cinnamaldehyde, Citral, and Eugenol on Aflatoxin Biosynthetic Gene Expression and Aflatoxin B1 Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus.

In order to reveal the inhibitory effects of cinnamaldehyde, citral, and eugenol on aflatoxin biosynthesis, the expression levels of 5 key aflatoxin biosynthetic genes were evaluated by real-time PCR. Aspergillus flavus growth and AFB1 production were completely inhibited by 0.80 mmol/L of cinnamaldehyde and 2.

Structural Insight into and Mutational Analysis of Family 11 Xylanases: Implications for Mechanisms of Higher pH Catalytic Adaptation.

To understand the molecular basis of higher pH catalytic adaptation of family 11 xylanases, we compared the structures of alkaline, neutral, and acidic active xylanases and analyzed mutants of xylanase Xyn11A-LC from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. SN5. It was revealed that alkaline active xylanases have increased charged residue content, an increased ratio of negatively to positively charged residues, and decreased Ser, Thr, and Tyr residue content relative to non-alkaline active counterparts.

Recent mycotoxin survey data and advanced mycotoxin detection techniques reported from China: a review.

Mycotoxin contamination in agro-food systems has been a serious concern over the last few decades in China, where the Ministry of Health has set maximum limits for mycotoxins in different agro-products. Overall survey data show that aflatoxin contamination in infant cereals, edible oils, raw milk, ginger and its related products are far below Chinese regulatory limits. The absence of aflatoxin M1 contamination in infant milk powders indicates a high standard of control.

Complete genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis SG6 antagonistic against Fusarium graminearum.

Bacillus subtilis SG6 exhibited a high antifungal effect on the mycelium growth, sporulation and DON production of F. graminearum and significantly reduced disease incidence, Fusarium head blight (FHB) index and DON in the field. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of B.