Moulds are capable of reducing the nutritional value of feedstuff as well as elaborating several mycotoxins. Mycotoxin-contaminated feed has adverse effects on animal health and productivity. Also, mycotoxins may be carried over into meat and eggs when poultry are fed with contaminated feed. In a point prevalence study feedstuff used for poultry nutrition in Argentina was analyzed for fungal flora, natural incidence of selected mycotoxins, and nutritional quality. Ten mould genera were recovered, six of them known to be mycotoxigenic. More than 28 species were determined. Fumonisins were detected in all the samples (median 1,750 ppb). Forty-four out of 49 samples (90%) were contaminated with DON (median 222 ppb) and OTA (median 5 ppb). Also, 44 out of 49 samples were contaminated with aflatoxins (median 2.685 ppb), 42 samples (86%) with ZEA (median 50 ppb), and 38 samples (78%) with T2-toxin (median 50 ppb). Ninety percent of the samples had at least one type of nutritional deficiency. This study indicates the need for continuous assessment of the mycological status of animal feed production, in order to feed animals for optimal performance ensuring food safety.

This work reports the physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of industrial and artisanal ciders from the Patagonia and Cuyo region of Argentina. Argentine cider has been undervalued by consumers in recent years and the academic and manufacturing sectors are looking to respond to this challenge . A novel sensorial panel for evaluating Argentine cider was developed, which to our knowledge is the first o f its kind for cider. Principal components analysis of the physicochemical data grouped the ciders by their manufacturing type (industrial or artisanal). Cluster analysis identified three groups of ciders defined by their alcohol and reducing sugar content. Most of the industrially made ciders were sweetened whereas the artisan ciders generally had the lowest sugar content. Correspondence analysis of the sensorial data revealed that the assessors found more differences in aroma than in taste. On tasting, alcoholic and oxidation notes differentiated 56.5 and 60.9% of the ciders respectively.

Argentina produces, annually, 1.8 million tons of pome fruit, distributed almost equally between apple and pear. These fruits, produced in the High Valley of Río Negro are already a registered brand in the world of fruit. Aspergillus kawachii produces an acidic polygalacturonase (PGase) called PGI that has attracted considerable interest because of its potential use in the food industry, particularly those involving fruit production in this region (such as pectin extraction). The enzyme was cloned and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of PG1 in the enzymatic pectin extraction from apples and pears pomace. Characterization of the extracted pectin was also done. The performance of PGI extraction process was compared to the traditional chemical extraction process and to the enzymatic extraction with commercial enzymes. The esterification degree and the content of uronic acids from the pectin obtained were determined. In all cases, the extraction with PGI had higher yields than the chemical extraction process. Enzymatic extracted pectins exhibited an esterification degree> 50% so that they can be considered belonging to the group of high methoxylpectins. According to these results, PGI could be used to produce pectins from fruit pomaces converting these materials, currently considered wastes, into by-products of the fruit industry.

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