Analysis and Mitigation Strategies of Biotoxins in Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2024) | Viewed by 6395

Special Issue Editors

Departament of Preclinic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: biochemistry in food application
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanotoxicology; drug delivery systems; tissue engineering; nano-biointerfaces; nanoimaging
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The effects of exposure to food biotoxins on humans’ and livestock’s health are very different, ranging from acute poisoning to long-term effects such as immune disorders and cancer. Biotoxins are odorless, colorless, and tasteless chemical substances produced by bacteria, marine algae, fungi, and plants. There is a constant need to develop technologies and control methods for the production of safe foods to protect consumers against exposure to these compounds. Food contamination can occur at any time and at any stage of food production or storage, beginning with the raw material. Rapid, reliable, and sensitive methods are essential for prevention or assessment of a threat or biotoxin-related outbreak. A number of methods (e.g., ELISA, ECL, LFA, ICA, LC-MS, and RT-PCR) could be used for detecting biotoxins, and their detection sensitivities vary dependent on food matrices. This Special Issue is focus on novel information regarding occurrence, analysis, and mitigation approaches on food biotoxins coming from the abovementioned sources.

Dr. Andreea Iren Serban
Dr. Anca Dinischiotu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biotoxins
  • mycotoxins
  • marine biotoxins
  • analytical methods
  • detoxification
  • food safety
  • health issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3004 KiB  
Article
Cation-Exchange Resin Applied to Paralytic Shellfish Toxins Depuration from Bivalves Exposed to Gymnodinium catenatum
by Joana F. Leal, Gabriel Bombo, Patrícia S. M. Amado, Hugo Pereira and Maria L. S. Cristiano
Foods 2023, 12(4), 768; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040768 - 10 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1851
Abstract
The accumulation of marine biotoxins in shellfish and their consumption causes serious food safety problems, threatening human health and compromising the availability of protein-based food. It is thus urgent to develop methodologies for the detoxification of live bivalves, avoiding their economic and nutritional [...] Read more.
The accumulation of marine biotoxins in shellfish and their consumption causes serious food safety problems, threatening human health and compromising the availability of protein-based food. It is thus urgent to develop methodologies for the detoxification of live bivalves, avoiding their economic and nutritional devaluation. In this context, we tested an adsorption mechanism of paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) based on a cation-exchange resin. The first studies using cultures of Gymnodinium catenatum (natural producers of PST) showed a decrease of about 80% in overall toxicity after 48 h. Interestingly, we found that the toxins are adsorbed differently, with toxins’ structural features playing a part in the adsorption capacity via steric hindrance, electronic effects, or the extent of positive charge density (e.g., dcSTX). The positive effect of the resin in accelerating PST clearance from live mussels (Mytilus edulis) is not evident when compared to resin-free clearance; nevertheless, relevant information could be gathered that will facilitate further in vivo studies. Several factors appear to be at play, namely the competition of natural substances (e.g., salts, organic matter) for the same binding sites, the blocking of pores due to interactions between molecules, and/or difficulties in resin absorption by mussels. Additionally, the present work revealed the ability of mussels to neutralize pH and proposes bioconversion reactions among the PST molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis and Mitigation Strategies of Biotoxins in Foods)
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17 pages, 1596 KiB  
Article
Composition-Based Risk Estimation of Mycotoxins in Dry Dog Foods
by Ovidiu Ionut Geicu, Liviu Bilteanu, Loredana Stanca, Adriana Ionescu Petcu, Florin Iordache, Aurelia Magdalena Pisoschi and Andreea Iren Serban
Foods 2023, 12(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010110 - 25 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1638
Abstract
The risk of mycotoxins co-occurrence in extrusion-produced dry foods increases due to their composition based on various grains and vegetables. This study aimed to validate a risk estimation for the association between ingredients and the ELISA-detected levels of DON, FUM, ZEA, AFs, T2, [...] Read more.
The risk of mycotoxins co-occurrence in extrusion-produced dry foods increases due to their composition based on various grains and vegetables. This study aimed to validate a risk estimation for the association between ingredients and the ELISA-detected levels of DON, FUM, ZEA, AFs, T2, and OTA in 34 dry dog food products. The main ingredients were corn, beet, and oil of different origins (of equal frequency, 79.41%), rice (67.6%), and wheat (50%). DON and FUM had the strongest positive correlation (0.635, p = 0.001). The presence of corn in the sample composition increased the median DON and ZEA levels, respectively, by 99.45 μg/kg and 65.64 μg/kg, p = 0.011. In addition to DON and ZEA levels, integral corn presence increased the FUM median levels by 886.61 μg/kg, p = 0.005. For corn gluten flour-containing samples, DON, FUM, and ZEA median differences still existed, and OTA levels also differed by 1.99 μg/kg, p < 0.001. Corn gluten flour presence was strongly associated with DON levels > 403.06 μg/kg (OR = 38.4, RR = 9.90, p = 0.002), FUM levels > 1097.56 μg/kg (OR = 5.56, RR = 1.45, p = 0.048), ZEA levels > 136.88 μg/kg (OR = 23.00, RR = 3.09, p = 0.002), and OTA levels > 3.93 μg/kg (OR = 24.00, RR = 3.09, p = 0.002). Our results suggest that some ingredients or combinations should be avoided due to their risk of increasing mycotoxin levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis and Mitigation Strategies of Biotoxins in Foods)
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Review

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23 pages, 721 KiB  
Review
Mycotoxins and Essential Oils—From a Meat Industry Hazard to a Possible Solution: A Brief Review
by Raluca Aniela Gheorghe-Irimia, Dana Tăpăloagă, Paul Rodian Tăpăloagă, Lucian Ionel Ilie, Cosmin Șonea and Andreea Iren Serban
Foods 2022, 11(22), 3666; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11223666 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2061
Abstract
The preservation of food supplies has been humankind’s priority since ancient times, and it is arguably more relevant today than ever before. Food sustainability and safety have been heavily prioritized by consumers, producers, and government entities alike. In this regard, filamentous fungi have [...] Read more.
The preservation of food supplies has been humankind’s priority since ancient times, and it is arguably more relevant today than ever before. Food sustainability and safety have been heavily prioritized by consumers, producers, and government entities alike. In this regard, filamentous fungi have always been a health hazard due to their contamination of the food substrate with mycotoxins. Additionally, mycotoxins are proven resilient to technological processing. This study aims to identify the main mycotoxins that may occur in the meat and meat products “Farm to Fork” chain, along with their effect on the consumers’ health, and also to identify effective methods of prevention through the use of essential oils (EO). At the same time, the antifungal and antimycotoxigenic potential of essential oils was considered in order to provide an overview of the subject. Targeting the main ways of meat products’ contamination, the use of essential oils with proven in vitro or in situ efficacy against certain fungal species can be an effective alternative if all the associated challenges are addressed (e.g., application methods, suitability for certain products, toxicity). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analysis and Mitigation Strategies of Biotoxins in Foods)
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