Occurrence and exposure assessment of aflatoxins in Zhejiang province, China

One-pot green synthesis of ZIF-8/IgG composite for the precise orientation and protection of antibody and its application in purification and detection of aflatoxins in peanut oil

This study presents a novel approach toward the one-pot green synthesis of ZIF-8/IgG composite, focusing on its precise orientation and protection of the anti-aflatoxins antibody. The antibody orientation is achieved through the specific binding of IgG to the Fc region of the antibody, while the antibody protection is accomplished by the structural change restriction of ZIF-8 framework to the antibody. Consequently, the antibody exhibits enhanced target capability and significantly improved tolerance to organic solvents. The ZIF-8/IgG/anti-AFT was employed for the purification and detection of AFTs by coupling with UPLC. Under optimized conditions, the recoveries of spiked AFTs in peanut oils are between 86.1% and 106.4%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 0.8% to 8.8%. The linearity range is 0.5-20.0 ng for AFB1 and AFG1, 0.125-5.0 ng for AFB2 and AFG2, the limit of detection is 0.1 ng for AFB1 and AFG1, 0.03 ng for AFB2 and AFG2.

Phytochemical-mediated regulation of aflatoxigenic fungi contamination in a shifting climate and environment

Mycotoxin contamination poses a significant problem in developing countries, particularly in northern Pakistan's fluctuating climate. This study aimed to assess aflatoxin contamination in medicinal and condiment plants in Upper Dir (dry-temperate) and Upper Swat (moist-temperate) districts. Plant samples were collected and screened for mycotoxins (Aflatoxin-B1 and Aflatoxin-B-2). Results showed high levels of AFB-1 (11,505.42 ± 188.82) as compared to AFB-2 (846 ± 241.56). The maximum contamination of AFB-1 in Coriandrum sativum (1154.5 ± 13.43 ng to 3328 ± 9.9 ng) followed by F. vulgare (883 ± 9.89 ng to 2483 ± 8.4 ng), T. ammi (815 ± 11.31 ng to 2316 ± 7.1 ng), and C. longa (935.5 ± 2.12 ng to 2009 ± 4.2 ng) while the minimum was reported in C. cyminum (671 ± 9.91 ng to 1995 ± 5.7 ng). Antifungal tests indicated potential resistance in certain plant species (C. cyminum) while A. flavus as the most toxins contributing species due to high resistance below 80% (54.2 ± 0.55 to 79.5 ± 2.02). HPLC analysis revealed hydroxyl benzoic acid (5136 amu) as the dominant average phytochemical followed by phloroglucinol (4144.31 amu) with individual contribution of 8542.08 amu and 12,181.5 amu from C. cyaminum. The comparison of average phytochemicals revealed the maximum concentration in C. cyminum (2885.95) followed by C. longa (1892.73). The findings revealed a statistically significant and robust negative correlation (y = - 2.7239 ×  + 5141.9; r = - 0.8136; p < 0.05) between average mycotoxins and phytochemical concentrations. Temperature positively correlated with aflatoxin levels (p < 0.01), while humidity had a weaker correlation. Elevation showed a negative correlation (p < 0.05), while geographical factors (latitude and longitude) had mixed correlations (p < 0.05). Specific regions exhibited increasing aflatoxin trends due to climatic and geographic factors.

Effects of aflatoxin and fumonisin on gene expression of growth factors and inflammation-related genes in a human hepatocyte cell line

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) are mycotoxins widely distributed in maize and maized-based products, often occurring together. The implications of co-exposure to aflatoxin and fumonsin for human health are numerous, but a particular concern is the potential of FB1 to modulate AFB1 hepatotoxicity. This study evaluated the toxicity of these mycotoxins, alone or combined, in a human non-tumorigenic liver cell line, HHL-16 cells, and assessed the effects of AFB1 and FB1 on expression of genes involved in immune and growth factor pathways. The results demonstrated that in HHL-16 cells, both AFB1 and FB1 had dose-dependent and time-dependent toxicity, and the combination of them showed a synergistic toxicity in the cells. Moreover, AFB1 caused upregulation of IL6, CCL20, and BMP2, and downregulation of NDP. In combination of AFB1 with FB1, gene expression levels of IL6 and BMP2 were significantly higher compared to individual FB1 treatment, and had a tendency to be higher than individual AFB1 treatment. This study shows that FB1 may increase the hepatoxicity of AFB1 through increasing the inflammatory response and disrupting cell growth pathways.

Review of the Terminology, Approaches, and Formulations Used in the Guidelines on Quantitative Risk Assessment of Chemical Hazards in Food

This paper reviews the published terminology, mathematical models, and the possible approaches used to characterise the risk of foodborne chemical hazards, particularly pesticides, metals, mycotoxins, acrylamide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results confirmed the wide variability of the nomenclature used, e.g., 28 different ways of referencing exposure, 13 of cancer risk, or 9 of slope factor. On the other hand, a total of 16 equations were identified to formulate all the risk characterisation parameters of interest. Therefore, the present study proposes a terminology and formulation for some risk characterisation parameters based on the guidelines of international organisations and the literature review. The mathematical model used for non-genotoxic hazards is a ratio in all cases. However, the authors used the probability of cancer or different ratios, such as the margin of exposure (MOE) for genotoxic hazards. For each effect studied per hazard, the non-genotoxic effect was mostly studied in pesticides (79.73%), the genotoxic effect was mostly studied in PAHs (71.15%), and both effects were mainly studied in metals (59.4%). The authors of the works reviewed generally opted for a deterministic approach, although most of those who assessed the risk for mycotoxins or the ratio and risk for acrylamide used the probabilistic approach.

Global systematic review and meta-analysis on prevalence and concentration of aflatoxins in peanuts oil and probabilistic risk assessment

Exposure to mycotoxins in food is largely unavoidable, and concerns about their health effects are growing. Consumption of vegetable oils such as peanuts oil has increased, hence several studies have been conducted on concentration of aflatoxins (AFs) in peanuts oil. Search was performed in Scopus and PubMed databases on prevalence and concentration of AFs in peanuts oil from 1 January 2005 to 15 April 29, 2022. Prevalence and concentration of AFs in peanuts oil was meta-analyzed based on country and type of AFs subgroups. In addition, health risk was calculated using monte carlo simulation method. Pooled prevalence of AFB1 in peanuts oil was 47.9%; AFB2, 46.45%; AFG1, 46.92% and AFG2, 54.01%. The Overall prevalence of AFTs was 49.30%, 95%CI (35.80-62.84%). Pooled concentration of AFB1 in peanuts oil was 2.30 μg/kg; AFB2, 0.77 μg/kg; AFG1, 0.07 μg/kg; AFG1, 0.28 μg/kg. The sort of country based on mean of MOEs in the adults consumers was Japan (47,059) > China (17,670) > Ethiopia (7,398) > Sudan (6,974) > USA (1,012) and sort of country based on mean of MOEs in the children was Japan (120,994) > China (46,991) > Ethiopia (19,251) > Sudan (18,200) > USA (2,620). Therefore, adults consumers were in considerable health risk in Ethiopia, Sudan and USA and for children in USA (MOE < 10,000).

Assessment of the Adverse Health Effects of Aflatoxin Exposure from Unpackaged Peanut Oil in Guangdong, China

Aflatoxins are liver carcinogens and are common contaminants in unpackaged peanut (UPP) oil. However, the health risks associated with consuming aflatoxins in UPP oil remain unclear. In this study, aflatoxin contamination in 143 UPP oil samples from Guangdong Province were assessed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We also recruited 168 human subjects, who consumed this oil, to measure their liver functions and lipid metabolism status. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was detected in 79.72% of the UPP oil samples, with levels ranging from 0.02 to 174.13 μg/kg. The average daily human intake of AFB1 from UPP oil was 3.14 ng/kg·bw/day; therefore, the incidence of liver cancer, caused by intake of 1 ng/kg·bw/day AFB1, was estimated to be 5.32 cases out of every 100,000 persons per year. Meanwhile, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and AFB1 exposure exerted a synergistic effect to cause liver dysfunction. In addition, the triglycerides (TG) abnormal rate was statistically significant when using AFB1 to estimate daily intake (EDI) quartile spacing grouping (p = 0.011). In conclusion, high aflatoxin exposure may exacerbate the harmful effects of HBV infection on liver function. Contamination of UPP oil with aflatoxins in Guangdong urgently requires more attention, and public health management of the consumer population is urgently required.

An Occurrence and Exposure Assessment of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins from Shellfish in Zhejiang Province, China

The intake of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) may adversely affect human health. Therefore, this study aimed to show the prevalence of PSTs from commercially available shellfish in Zhejiang Province, China, during the period of frequent red tides, investigate the factors affecting the distribution of PSTs, and assess the risk of PST intake following the consumption of bivalve shellfish among the Zhejiang population. A total of 546 shellfish samples were collected, 7.0% of which had detectable PSTs at concentrations below the regulatory limit. Temporal, spatial, and interspecific variations in the occurrence of PSTs were observed in some cases. The dietary exposure to PSTs among the general population of consumers only was low. However, young children in the extreme scenario (the 95th percentile of daily shellfish consumption combined with the maximum PST concentration), defined as 89-194% of the recommended acute reference doses, were possibly at risk of exposure. Notably, Arcidae and mussels were the major sources of exposure to toxins. From the public health perspective, PSTs from commercially available shellfish do not pose a serious health risk; however, more attention should be paid to acute health risks, especially for young children, during periods of frequent red tides.

Food aflatoxin exposure assessment in Sichuan Province, China

Aflatoxins (AFs) are frequent contaminants in crops worldwide and can cause adverse health effects in exposed humans. Since foods AFs (AFB₁, AFB₂, AFG₁, AFG₂) contamination in Sichuan Province are unexplored, we conducted a study to assess AFs exposure in the population. In total, 318 samples, including grains, red chilli, red chilli powder, and vegetable protein beverages, were collected from 13 cities of Sichuan Province, China, in 2022. AFs were detected in all types of foods except for wheat flour, the highest incidence was found in red chilli powder (75.0%). The concentrations of AF_tot (the total aflatoxins) ranged between ND (not detected) and 54.20 μg kg^-1. It was observed that the AFs profile was dominated by AFB₁. The AFB₁ content ranged from ND to 52.60 μg kg^-1 across food types. According to EU maximum limits (ML) of AFs, 2.8% of samples exceeded the AF_tot limits. For AFB₁, 0.4% and 4.3% of samples exceeded the China and EU limits, respectively. In this study, packaging types and sampling sites were selected as parameters influence food aflatoxin contamination. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between different samples. According to exposure assessment and risk characterization, AF_tot daily exposure was shown to be 0.263 and 283.936 ng kg^-1 bw for the lower and upper exposure. The MOE value derived from consumption grains and red chilli pepper products were generally bellow 10 000, and liver cancer cases based on these two foods consumption could range from < 0.001 to 0.16 cases per year/10 000 persons.

Analysis of 16 mycotoxins in genuine traditional Chinese medicine for five medicinal parts: Classification of analytical method based on PANI@CS extraction-UPLC-MS/MS

A novel PANI@CS solid-phase dispersive extractant combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the first time, which was used for high-throughput, multi-component, real-time online rapid pretreatment and quantitative classification of 16 mycotoxins from five different medicinal parts of 13 genuine traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Ultra performance liquid chromatography combined with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was used for separation and ESI detection. An internal standard isotope matching calibration was used for quantification purposes to compensate for matrix effects. The limits of detection (LOD) of 16 mycotoxins ranged from 0.1 to 6.0 μg/kg. The linear coefficients (R²) were ≥0.996 in the linear range from 10.0 to 200 μg/L. The recoveries of the 16 mycotoxins ranged from 90.1% to 105.8%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 1.3% to 4.1%. Thirteen TCMs from five representative medicinal parts were selected and tested under the best sample preparation procedure and chromatographic analysis conditions. The results showed that the method could improve the sensitivity and accuracy of the sample analysis, improve the selectivity and reproducibility of the decolorization and purification of TCMs, which is suitable for the practical application of mycotoxin in trace analysis. This method can also provide a new idea for accurate, efficient, rapid and multi-component online detection of mycotoxins for quality and safety control of TCMs.

Food-Borne Chemical Carcinogens and the Evidence for Human Cancer Risk

Commonly consumed foods and beverages can contain chemicals with reported carcinogenic activity in rodent models. Moreover, exposures to some of these substances have been associated with increased cancer risks in humans. Food-borne carcinogens span a range of chemical classes and can arise from natural or anthropogenic sources, as well as form endogenously. Important considerations include the mechanism(s) of action (MoA), their relevance to human biology, and the level of exposure in diet. The MoAs of carcinogens have been classified as either DNA-reactive (genotoxic), involving covalent reaction with nuclear DNA, or epigenetic, involving molecular and cellular effects other than DNA reactivity. Carcinogens are generally present in food at low levels, resulting in low daily intakes, although there are some exceptions. Carcinogens of the DNA-reactive type produce effects at lower dosages than epigenetic carcinogens. Several food-related DNA-reactive carcinogens, including aflatoxins, aristolochic acid, benzene, benzo[a]pyrene and ethylene oxide, are recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as causes of human cancer. Of the epigenetic type, the only carcinogen considered to be associated with increased cancer in humans, although not from low-level food exposure, is dioxin (TCDD). Thus, DNA-reactive carcinogens in food represent a much greater risk than epigenetic carcinogens.

Antifungal Mechanisms and Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Bakery Products: A Review

Bakery products are nutritious, but they are susceptible to fungal contamination, which leads to a decline in quality and safety. Chemical preservatives are often used to extend the shelf-life of bakery products, but long-term consumption of these preservatives may increase the risk of chronic diseases. Consumers increasingly demand food with fewer chemical preservatives. The application of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a novel biological preservative not only prolongs the shelf-life of bakery products but also improves the baking properties of bakery products. This review summarizes different types and action mechanisms of antifungal compounds produced by LAB, factors affecting the production of antifungal compounds, and the effects of antifungal LAB on bakery products, providing a reference for future applications of antifungal LAB in bakery products.