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Hassan HF, Awada F, Dimassi H, El Ahmadieh C, Hassan NB, El Khatib S, Alwan N, Abiad MG, Serhan M, Darra NE. Assessment of mycotoxins in cornflakes marketed in Lebanon. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20944. [PMID: 38017057 PMCID: PMC10684495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48172-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cornflakes are a popular and convenient breakfast cereal made from corn and widely consumed worldwide, including in Lebanon. However, they are susceptible to mycotoxin contamination, which can have harmful effects on human health. Our study evaluated the occurrence of five mycotoxins (AFB1, OTA, FUM, ZEA, DON) levels in packed cornflakes marketed in Lebanon. A market screening identified 35 different cornflake stock-keeping units (SKU) in the Lebanese market, originating from 10 different brands and having different tastes and shapes. SKUs were collected and tested for five mycotoxins in triplicates using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The results showed the presence of the five mycotoxins in the samples. The average levels of AFB1, OTA, ZEA and FUM among positive samples (above limit of detection) were 1.58, 1.2, 15.1 and 774.1 μg/kg, respectively, and were below the EU limits. On the other hand, the average level of DON was 1206.7 μg/kg, exceeding the EU limit. Furthermore, out of the positive samples, 60%, 17%, 9%, 14%, and 6% exceeded the EU limits for DON, OTA, AFB1, FUM, and ZEA, respectively. Notably, SKUs made in Lebanon had significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels of AFB1 and FUM. The packing size of the cornflakes had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on the levels of the five mycotoxins detected in the samples. AFB1, FUM and ZEA levels differed significantly among SKUs (p > 0.05). Considering these findings, further studies should be conducted to assess the exposure to mycotoxins from the consumption of cornflakes in Lebanon, especially among children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein F Hassan
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Farah Awada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hani Dimassi
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
| | - Christina El Ahmadieh
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nour Bachar Hassan
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Sami El Khatib
- Department of Food Sciences and Technology, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Bekaa, Lebanon
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Bekaa, Lebanon
- Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB) at Gulf University for Science and Technology, Hawally, Kuwait
| | - Nisreen Alwan
- College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamad G Abiad
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Mireille Serhan
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Balamand, Deir el Balamand, Tripoli, Lebanon.
| | - Nada El Darra
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon.
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Hassan HF, Tashani H, Ballouk F, Daou R, El Khoury A, Abiad MG, AlKhatib A, Hassan M, El Khatib S, Dimassi H. Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A in Tea Sold in Lebanon: Effects of Type, Packaging, and Origin. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6556. [PMID: 37623142 PMCID: PMC10454378 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20166556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Tea is among the oldest and most-known beverages around the world, and it has many flavors and types. Tea can be easily contaminated in any of its production steps, especially with mycotoxins that are produced particularly in humid and warm environments. This study aims to examine the level of ochratoxin A (OTA) and total aflatoxin (AF) contamination in black and green tea sold in Lebanon, evaluate its safety compared to international standards, and assess the effect of different variables on the levels of OTA and AFs. For this, the Lebanese market was screened and all tea brands (n = 37; 24 black and 13 green) were collected twice. The Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (ELISA) method was used to determine OTA and AFs in the samples. AFs and OTA were detected in 28 (75.7%) and 31 (88.6%) samples, respectively. The average of AFs in the positive (above detection limit: 1.75 μg/kg) samples was 2.66 ± 0.15 μg/kg, while the average of OTA in the positive (above detection limit: 1.6 μg/kg) samples was 3.74 ± 0.72 μg/kg. The mean AFs in black and green tea were 2.65 ± 0.55 and 2.54 ± 0.40 μg/kg, respectively, while for OTA, the mean levels were 3.67 ± 0.96 and 3.46 ± 1.09 μg/kg in black and green tea samples, respectively. Four brands (10.8%) contained total aflatoxin levels above the EU limit (4 μg/kg). As for OTA, all samples had OTA levels below the Chinese limit (5 μg/kg). No significant association (p > 0.05) was found between OTA and tea type, level of packaging, country of origin, country of packing, and country of distribution. However, AF contamination was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in unpacked tea, and in brands where the country of origin, packing, and distributor was in Asia. The results showed that the tea brands in Lebanon are relatively safe in terms of AFs and OTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein F. Hassan
- Nutrition Program, Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut P.O. Box 13-5053, Lebanon (M.H.)
| | - Hadeel Tashani
- Nutrition Program, Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut P.O. Box 13-5053, Lebanon (M.H.)
| | - Farah Ballouk
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon
| | - Rouaa Daou
- Centre d’Analyses et de Recherche, Unité de Recherche Technologies et Valorisation Agro-Alimentaire, Faculty of Sciences, Campus of Sciences and Technologies, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Mar Roukoz P.O. Box 17-5208, Lebanon
| | - André El Khoury
- Centre d’Analyses et de Recherche, Unité de Recherche Technologies et Valorisation Agro-Alimentaire, Faculty of Sciences, Campus of Sciences and Technologies, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Mar Roukoz P.O. Box 17-5208, Lebanon
| | - Mohamad G. Abiad
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
- Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture, and Food (LEAF), Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Beirut 1107-2020, Lebanon
| | - Ali AlKhatib
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon
| | - Mahdi Hassan
- Nutrition Program, Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut P.O. Box 13-5053, Lebanon (M.H.)
| | - Sami El Khatib
- Department of Food Sciences and Technology, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Bekaa P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon;
- Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB), Gulf University for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 7207, Hawally 32093, Kuwait
| | - Hani Dimassi
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos P.O. Box 36, Lebanon
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Mwabulili F, Xie Y, Li Q, Sun S, Yang Y, Ma W. Research progress of ochratoxin a bio-detoxification. Toxicon 2023; 222:107005. [PMID: 36539080 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.107005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Ochratoxins (OTs) is an extremely toxic mycotoxin in which Ochratoxin A (OTA) is the most toxic and prevalent in the ochratoxin family. OTA is among the five most critical mycotoxins that are subject to legal regulations. Animals and humans may be exposed to OTA through dietary intake, inhalation, and dermal contact. OTA is considered nephrotoxic, genotoxic, cytotoxic, teratogenic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunotoxic, and myelotoxic. So, intake of OTA contaminated foods and feeds can impact the productivity of animals and health of people. According to this review, several studies have reported on the approaches that have been established for OTA removal. This review focused on the control approaches to mitigate OTA contamination, OTA bio-detoxification materials and their applicable techniques, recombinant strains for OTA bio-detoxification, and their detoxification effects, recombinant OTA-degrading enzymes and their sources, recombinant fusion enzymes for OTA, ZEN and AFB1 mycotoxins detoxification, as well as the current application and commercialized OTA bio-detoxification products. However, there is no single technique that has been approved to detoxify OTA by 100% to date. Some preferred current strategies for OTA bio-detoxification have been recombinant degrading enzymes and genetic engineering technology due to their efficiency and safety. Therefore, prospective studies should focus on standardizing pure enzymes from genetically engineered microbial strains that have great potential for OTA detoxification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred Mwabulili
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Cereal and Oil Food Safety Inspection and Control, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China; Department of Applied Sciences, Mbeya University of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 131, Mbeya, Tanzania
| | - Yanli Xie
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Cereal and Oil Food Safety Inspection and Control, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China.
| | - Qian Li
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Cereal and Oil Food Safety Inspection and Control, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Shumin Sun
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Cereal and Oil Food Safety Inspection and Control, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Yuhui Yang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Cereal and Oil Food Safety Inspection and Control, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Weibin Ma
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Cereal and Oil Food Safety Inspection and Control, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
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Akoury E, Mansour N, Reda GA, Dimassi H, Karam L, Alwan N, Hassan HF. Toxic metals in packed rice: Effects of size, type, origin, packing season, and storage duration. J Food Compost Anal 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2022.104920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
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Alwan N, Bou Ghanem H, Dimassi H, Karam L, Hassan HF. Exposure Assessment of Aflatoxin B1 through Consumption of Rice in the United Arab Emirates. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15000. [PMID: 36429720 PMCID: PMC9690502 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192215000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Rice is one of the most consumed staple foods worldwide and a major part of the diet for half of the global population. Being primarily cultivated in countries with warm and humid environments increases rice's susceptibility for mycotoxins contamination, especially the hepatotoxic and carcinogenic aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Since no study was published before on the exposure to AFB1 from consuming rice in the UAE, our study aims to assess the levels of AFB1 in rice marketed in the country and determine the estimated daily exposure of the population for this carcinogenic metabolite and its associated liver cancer risk. All white, brown, and parboiled rice brands available in the retail markets in the UAE were procured twice. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, AFB1 was detected in 48 out of 128 rice samples (38%). The average contamination ± standard deviation of AFB1 among positive samples (above the detection limit) was found to be 1.66 ± 0.89 μg/kg, ranging from 1 μg/kg (detection limit) to 4.69 μg/kg. The contamination level in all the samples was below the limit set by the Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization (≤5 μg/kg), while 10 (20.8%) of the positive samples had a contamination level above the maximum limit set by the European Union (≥2 μg/kg). The moisture content in all the assessed samples was ≤14%. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in AFB1 between samples in both collections (p-value = 0.043). However, the rice type, grain size, packing country, packing season, country of origin, collection season, and packing to purchasing time had no significant effect on AFB1. The calculated mean daily exposure level of the Emirati population to AFB1 from consuming rice was 4.83 ng/kg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisreen Alwan
- College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab Emirates
| | - Haneen Bou Ghanem
- Nutrition Program, Natural Sciences Department, Lebanese American University, Beirut P.O. Box 13-5053, Lebanon
| | - Hani Dimassi
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos P.O. Box 36, Lebanon
| | - Layal Karam
- Human Nutrition Department, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Hussein F. Hassan
- Nutrition Program, Natural Sciences Department, Lebanese American University, Beirut P.O. Box 13-5053, Lebanon
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