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- Acrylamide (1)
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Mycotoxins are important non-anthropogenic food and feed contaminants, which can be present on almost every agricultural commodity. Effective consumer protection therefore essentially depends on food surveillance by reliable quantitative analysis enabled by appropriate quality control. Certified (matrix) reference materials (CRMs) are versatile tools to support Quality assurance. However, in the case of ochratoxin A (OTA), a hepato- and nephrotoxic mycotoxin, which is regulated in various foods, there is a lack of suitable CRMs. This lack has now been overcome by the development of two European Reference Materials (ERM®) for the Determination of OTA in roasted coffee (ERM®-BD475) and red wine (ERM®-BD476). This article discusses the material preparation process as well as the results of homogeneity and stability testing. Furthermore, the results of the inhouse certification studies carried out at BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing are presented and discussed. Interlaboratory comparison studies involving selected expert laboratories with documented Expertise in the field of mycotoxin analysis were conducted to confirm the certified values determined by BAM. The certified ochratoxin A values and their corresponding expanded uncertainties (k = 2) were assigned in full compliance with the requirements of ISO Guide 35 and are as follows:
(6.0 ± 0.6) µg kg-1 for roasted coffee, ERM®-BD475, and (0.52 ± 0.11) µg L-1 for red wine, ERM®-BD476.
Mycotoxins are natural contaminants produced by a range of fungal species. Their common occurrence in food and feed poses a threat to the health of humans and animals. This threat is caused either by the direct contamination of agricultural commodities or by a "carry-over" of mycotoxins and their metabolites into animal tissues, milk, and eggs after feeding of contaminated hay or corn. As a consequence of their diverse chemical structures and varying physical properties, mycotoxins exhibit a wide range of biological effects. Individual mycotoxins can be genotoxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and oestrogenic. To protect consumer health and to reduce economic losses, surveillance and control of mycotoxins in food and feed has become a major objective for producers, regulatory authorities and researchers worldwide. However, the variety of chemical structures makes it impossible to use one single technique for mycotoxin analysis. Hence, a vast number of analytical methods has been developed and validated. The heterogeneity of food matrices combined with the demand for a fast, simultaneous and accurate determination of multiple mycotoxins creates enormous challenges for routine analysis. The most crucial issues will be discussed in this review. These are (1) the collection of representative samples, (2) the performance of classical and emerging analytical methods based on chromatographic or immunochemical techniques, (3) the validation of official methods for enforcement, and (4) the limitations and future prospects of the current methods.
Aims: A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the influence of cocultivation of toxigenic Fusarium (F.) and Alternaria (A.) fungi with respect to growth and mycotoxin production.
Methods and Results: Fusarium culmorum Fc13, Fusarium graminearum Fg23 and two Alternaria tenuissima isolates (At18 and At220) were simultaneously or consecutively co-incubated on wheat kernels in an in vitro test system. Fungal biomass was quantified by determining ergosterol content. Three Fusarium toxins (DON, NIV and ZON) and three Alternaria toxins (AOH, AME and ALT) were analysed by a newly developed HPLC/MS/MS method. In simultaneous cocultures, the fungal biomass was enhanced up to 460% compared with individual cultures; Alternaria toxins were considerably depressed down to <5%. Combining At18 and At220 with Fg23 inhibited the toxin production of both fungal partners. In contrast, Fc13 increased its DON and ZON production in competitive interaction with both A. strains.
Conclusions: The interfungal competitive effects aid the understanding of the processes of competition of both fungi in natural environments and the involvement of mycotoxins as antifungal factors.
Significance and Impact of Study:
Cocultivation significantly affects fungal growth and mycotoxin production of phytopathogenic Alternaria and Fusarium strains. The impact of mycotoxins on the interfungal competition is highlighted.
Certified reference materials (CRMs) are a versatile tool for quality assurance in the chemical laboratory. In the case of acrylamide analysis, the availability of appropriate materials was rather limited. This lack of acrylamide matrix CRMs has now been overcome by the development of two European reference materials (ERM) for the determination of acrylamide in food (crispbread, ERM-BD272, and rusk, ERM-BD274). This article describes the preparation of the materials, provides the results of the homogeneity and stability studies, and presents and discusses the outcome of the certification studies. Expert laboratories from different European countries took part in the certification studies using various analytical methods. The acrylamide mass fractions were certified to 980 µg kg-1 for crispbread and 74 µg kg-1 for rusk.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) or sulfites are the most common preservatives used in winemaking. The level of total SO2 is subject to regulation. Currently, the regulatory determination of total SO2 (including sulfites) is done by the optimized Monier–Williams (OMW) method, which includes time-consuming distillation and titration steps. This paper describes the development and application of an alternative, rapid, straightforward, and reliable method for the determination of total sulfite in wine. In this method, a simple oxidation step using alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution is followed by ion chromatographic (IC) analysis of sulfate coupled with conductometric detection. Thirteen wines were analyzed in order to compare the in-sample oxidation method with the OMW-procedure. A t-test revealed satisfying compliance regarding sample preparation, i.e., alkaline H2O2 treatment and acidic distillation (OMW method). Comparable results were also obtained between IC analysis and acid/base titration. Our results indicate that the novel method (limit of quantification: 4 mg SO2 L-1) is well suited for the cost-efficient monitoring of regulatory limits.
The role of mycotoxins in the microbial competition in an ecosystem or on the same host plant is still unclear. Therefore, a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the influence of mycotoxins on growth and mycotoxin production of Fusarium and Alternaria fungi. Fusarium culmorum Fc13, Fusarium graminearum Fg23 and two Alternaria tenuissima isolates (At18 and At220) were incubated on wheat kernels supplemented with alternariol (AOH), tetramic acid derivates (TeA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) in an in vitro test system. Fungal biomass was quantified by determining ergosterol content. Three Fusarium toxins (DON, nivalenol and ZEA) and three Alternaria toxins (AOH, alternariol methyl ether (AME) and altenuene) were analysed by HPLC-MS/MS. If Alternaria strains grew in wheat kernels spiked with Fusarium mycotoxins, their growth rates were moderately increased, their AOH and AME production was enhanced and they were simultaneously capable of degrading the Fusarium mycotoxins DON and ZEA. In contrast, both Fusarium strains behaved quite differently. The growth rate of Fc13 was not distinctly influenced, while Fg23 increased its growth in wheat kernels spiked with AOH. TeA depressed the ergosterol content in Fc13 as well as in Fg23. The DON production of Fc13 was slightly depressed, whereas the ZEA production was significantly increased. In contrast, Fg23 restricted its ZEA production. Both Fusarium strains were not capable of degrading the Alternaria mycotoxin AOH. Mycotoxins might play an important role in the interfungal competitive processes. They influence growth rates and mycotoxin production of the antagonistic combatants. The observed effects between phytopathogenic Alternaria and Fusarium strains and their mycotoxins aid the understanding of the complexity of microbial competitive behaviour in natural environments.