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Zearalenone (ZEA) is an estrogenic mycotoxin mainly produced by Fusarium graminerum, a species which colonizes a wide variety of cereals, including wheat, barley and processed products. A survey of ZEA contamination was conducted on 141 dried confectioneries, 59 breads and rice cakes, 135 noodles and 101 other products, for a total of 432 commercial samples. Samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) after immunoaffinity clean-up and was confirmed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The limits of detection and quantification were 2.0 and 6.0 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery ranged from 80.2% to 98.4% in the cereal based product. ZEA was detected in 38 samples (8.8% incidence), including 3 snack, 2 biscuit and 33 other cereal products. The ZEA contamination levels were in the range of 5.38-53.76 µg/kg.

Recently, the use of seaweed has attracted significant attention and has resulted in several seaweed-based studies for developing health-promoting foods. Sargassum sp. has been consumed as a part of the diet for centuries, especially in Asian countries, and has been reported to exhibit diverse biological effects, such as antioxidant, anti-obesity, and anti-inflammation effects. The present study involved the evaluation of the total phenolics content and in vitro antioxidant activities of seaweed using 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of lipid accumulation during the production of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and nitric oxide (NO) in RAW264.7 macrophages were investigated. The results revealed that Sargassum siliquastrum contained the highest total phenolics content (36.67 mg GAE/g of extract) and exhibited the highest antioxidant activity among the 19 Sargassum sp. seaweeds. In terms of the anti-adipogenic activity, the Sargassum nipponium and Sargassum siliquastrum extracts significantly inhibited lipid accumulation (up to 63%) compared to that of the control in 3T3-L1 cells. Additionally, the Sargassum sagamianum extract inhibited NO production (up to 85%) in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells. Our results provide evidence that Sargassum sp. could be useful for the development of healthy functional foods.

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