Determination of ochratoxin A in edible pork offal: intra-laboratory validation study and estimation of the daily intake via kidney consumption in Belgium

Pork-derived products can contribute to the overall ochratoxin A (OTA) intake via carry-over from contaminated feed or via mould spoilage of meat products (salami, dry-cured ham, sausage). An analytical method using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated in accordance with the specifications laid down by European Commission. It offered quantification limits of 0.2 for kidney, liver and 0.4 μg/kg for black sausage. Spiking experiments of blank samples at 5-10 μg/kg showed recoveries ranging from 88 to 101%, 89 to 97% and 80 to 85% for kidney, liver and black sausage, respectively. The respective intra-laboratory repeatabilities ranged between 9.8-11.1%, 9.4-14.4% and 9.7-14.2%, and extended measurement uncertainties MU_(k = 2) were 33%, 35% and 43% for kidney, liver and black sausage. Next, the validated method was applied to kidney (110), liver (20) and black sausage (20) samples collected in Belgium in the period 2012-2019. Neither liver nor black sausage samples were contaminated with OTA. Kidney samples (37.3%) were OTA contaminated at the mean level of 0.22 ± 0.25 μg/kg (up to 1.91 μg/kg). These data combined with the offal consumption in the Belgian population revealed average daily OTA exposures ranged from 0.167 and 0.319 ng/kg bw for 3 age groups (3-9, 10-17 and 18-64 years). Taking into account, the OTA non-neoplastic and neoplastic effects, risk characterization assessed via the margin of exposure for reference endpoints revealed no potential health risk for the consumers. As the presence of low OTA content in foods together with other mycotoxins or derivatives may interactively potentiate its toxicity, monitoring of OTA and its metabolites in meat and meat by-products is advised.

Clinical spectrum of α-Gal syndrome: from immediate-type to delayed immediate-type reactions to mammalian innards and meat

The term α-Gal syndrome describes a novel IgE-mediated immediate-type allergy to the disaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal). Its classification as a syndrome is proposed on the basis of its clinical relevance in three different fields of allergy: food, drugs, and tick bites. The main focus of the present article is on α-Gal as an eliciting allergen in food allergy. It was recently shown that immediate-type allergies to pork kidney and other mammalian innards belong to the spectrum of α-Gal syndrome. These allergic reactions manifest as classic immediate-type allergies with a typical latency of under 1 h. The phenomenon of a delayed-onset immediate-type allergy with a latency of 3–6 h following ingestion of mammalian meat is considered pathognomonic for α-Gal syndrome. This clinically distinct type of presentation can be explained using the concept of food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA). However, clinical observations and challenge testing in this constellation reveal that individual sensitivity in α-Gal patients is highly variable and which broadens our basic understanding of α-Gal syndrome.