Mycotoxins in foods in Lower Saxony (Germany): results of official control analyses performed in 2009

Abstract

In this presentation, the mycotoxin levels-as analysed by the analytical centre for mycotoxin surveillance of the state food laboratory (LAVES Braunschweig)-for approximately 500 food samples are reported. The samples were collected in the year 2009 at retail in the German federal state of Lower Saxony. Aflatoxin and ochratoxin A were analysed in dried fruits, spices, cereals and tree nuts. Ochratoxin A was detected in all samples of dried vine fruits, at levels up to 8.1 μg/kg. Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A were also found in nutmeg and curry powder: the maximum regulatory levels for aflatoxins were exceeded in 25% of the nutmeg samples. Nearly all samples of basmati rice contained aflatoxins, although at levels below the maximum regulatory level in all but one sample. Aflatoxins were also detected in about 50% of hazelnut samples, in 20% of the samples the maximum levels was exceeded (maximum 23.2 μg/kg). In contrast, aflatoxin contents in pistachios were surprisingly low. Fusarium toxins were analysed in cereals and cereal products such as flour, bread, and pasta. Deoxynivalenol (DON) was the predominant toxin found in these samples: DON was found in about 40% of the samples, although the maximum levels were not exceeded (max. 418 μg/kg). Fumonisins (FBs) and zearalenone (ZEA) were specifically analysed in maize products (snacks, flour and oil). Most of these samples (80%) were positive, but at levels not exceeding the maximum levels. Maximum levels were 98 μg/kg (ZEA) and 577 μg/kg (sum of FB1 and FB2). Ergot alkaloids (six major alkaloids) were analysed in rye flour, and approximately 50% were positive. The highest concentration of ergot alkaloids was 1,063 μg/kg; the predominant alkaloids were ergotamine and ergocristine. In conclusion, the results indicate that continuous and efficient control measures for mycotoxins in a wide range of critical foods are necessary to ensure compliance with maximum levels. Although the mycotoxin levels in the vast majority of samples were below maximum levels, year-to-year variation and changes in the production of relevant commodities may result in a different picture in the future.

Aflatoxins in selected Thai commodities

“…was found to be a predominant fungal infection in chilli (Reddy et al 2001). AFs contamination in several kinds of spices has been reported elsewhere (Cho et al 2008;Reinhold & Reinhardt 2011). Among monitoring of spices in the Irish market, chilli powder was found to be contaminated with AFs (range 0.35-27.50 µg kg −1 ) in higher concentrations than others (O'Riordan & Wilkinson 2008).…”

“…The authors reported AF levels between 0.1 and 50.7 µg kg −1 . In 2010, AFs were found in more than 70% of the 22 analysed basmati rice samples in Germany with a mean concentration of 1.53 µg kg −1 (Reinhold & Reinhardt 2011). In Canada, two years study of AFs contamination in rice reported mean values of 0.34-0.39 µg kg −1 in AFB1 (with a maximum level of 7.14 µg kg −1 ).…”

“…The occurrence of mycotoxins in rice has been reviewed by Tanaka et al (2007). Aflatoxins were found worldwide in rice samples in the Philippines (Sales & Yoshizawa 2005), China (Liu et al 2006), Vietnam (Nguyen et al 2007), India (Reddy et al 2009), Sweden (Fredlund et al 2009), Austria (Reiter et al 2010), Germany (Reinhold & Reinhardt 2011) and Canada (Bansal et al 2011). In addition, glutinous rice, known as sticky rice, is a kind of rice mostly consumed as a main dish and also preferred to serve as a desert or sweet between meals in some regions of Asia.…”

Estimated exposure to EU regulated mycotoxins and risk characterization of aflatoxin-induced hepatic toxicity through the consumption of the toasted cereal flour called “gofio”, a traditional food of the Canary Islands (Spain)

“…This is probably due to the LOQ of our method is considerably lower than that used in the above cited works (ZEA LOQ = 0.012 ng/g vs. higher than 0.5 ng/g). However, in another study where the authors analyzed samples of maize flour from the German market, they found that 62.5% of the samples were contaminated with ZEA, with a median concentration value of 12 ng/g (Reinhold and Reinhardt, 2011). It is likely that these higher concentrations reported in German flour are due to the fact that they come from unroasted cereal.…”

An integrated targeted and untargeted approach for the analysis of ergot alkaloids in cereals using UHPLC – hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

“…Generally it is possible to remove up to 82 % of ergot by mechanical means with conventional grain cleaning equipment such as sieves and separators used during the harvesting process. But despite these cleaning procedures, different surveys have demonstrated that ergot alkaloids can still be present in cereal-based food and feed, sometimes in excessive amounts (Crews et al, 2009;Diana Di Mavungu et al, 2011;Malysheva et al, 2014;Lombaert et al, 2003;Müller et al, 2009;Reinhold and Reinhardt, 2011).…”