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Advances in Toxicity Induction and Safety Evaluation of Mycotoxins in...
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Advances in Toxicity Induction and Safety Evaluation of Mycotoxins in Food

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 6310

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Veronica Zingales

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Av. Vicent Andrés Estelles, s/n, Burjassot, 46100 Valencia, Spain
Interests: mycotoxins; food toxins; in vitro systems; molecular mechanisms; food safety
Prof. Dr. María José Ruiz Leal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Av. Vicent Andrés Estelles, s/n, Burjassot, 46100 Valencia, Spain
Interests: mechanistic toxicology of natural contaminants and chemical substances by applying in vitro methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few decades, the high prevalence of mycotoxin-contaminated food has led to a focus on the study of these toxic natural contaminants. Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites known to induce adverse health effects in humans and animals following consumption of contaminated foodstuffs. To prevent and contain the hazard associated with their exposure, regulatory limits and guidance values have been set in several countries for many mycotoxins. However, given the increasing need to establish a better risk assessment for mycotoxins, scientific and technological advances for the evaluation of their toxicity are mandatory. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview on mycotoxin-induced toxic effects, as well as the related mechanisms of action. Original research articles or reviews on the use of innovative approaches are welcome. We trust that a move to more advanced toxicological studies will provide deeper insights into mycotoxin toxicity and represent an attractive strategy for a more reliable risk assessment.

Dr. Veronica Zingales
Prof. Dr. María José Ruiz Leal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mycotoxins
  • in vitro toxicity
  • mechanisms of action
  • risk assessment
  • advanced methods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2888 KiB  
Article
Limited Effectiveness of Penicillium camemberti in Preventing the Invasion of Contaminating Molds in Camembert Cheese
by Nicole Ollinger, Alexandra Malachová, Alexandra Schamann, Michael Sulyok, Rudolf Krska and Julian Weghuber
Foods 2024, 13(18), 2865; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13182865 - 10 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1096
Abstract
Mold-ripened cheese acquires a distinctive aroma and texture from mold cultures that mature on a fresh cheese wheel. Owing to its high moisture content (aw = 0.95) and pliability, soft cheese is prone to contamination. Many contaminating mold species are unable to [...] Read more.
Mold-ripened cheese acquires a distinctive aroma and texture from mold cultures that mature on a fresh cheese wheel. Owing to its high moisture content (aw = 0.95) and pliability, soft cheese is prone to contamination. Many contaminating mold species are unable to grow at colder temperatures, and the lactic acid produced by the cheese bacteria inhibits further infiltration. Thus, Camembert cheese is generally well protected against contamination by a wide range of species. In this study, cocultures of Penicillium camemberti and widely distributed mycotoxin-producing mold species were incubated on different types of agars, and purchased Camembert samples were deliberately contaminated with mycotoxin-producing mold species capable of growing at both 25 °C and 4 °C. The production of mycotoxins was then monitored by the extraction of the metabolites and their subsequent measurement by means of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based targeted metabolite profiling approach. The production of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) was highly dependent on the species cocultivated with Penicillium camemberti, the temperature and the substrate. Contamination of Camembert cheese with Penicillium chrysogenum, Mucor hiemalis, or Penicillium glabrum induced CPA production at 25 °C. Although mold growth on cheese was not always evident on biofilms for certain cultures, except for Penicillium citrinum, which stained the monosaccharide agar yellow, mycotoxins were detected in many agar and cheese samples, as in all monosaccharide agar samples. In conclusion, cheese should be immediately discarded upon the first appearance of mold. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Toxicity Induction and Safety Evaluation of Mycotoxins in Food)
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21 pages, 6502 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of Spheroids (3D) and Monolayer Cultures (2D) for the In Vitro Assessment of Cytotoxicity Induced by the Mycotoxins Sterigmatocystin, Ochratoxin A and Patulin
by Veronica Zingales, Maria Rosaria Esposito, Martina Quagliata, Elisa Cimetta and María-José Ruiz
Foods 2024, 13(4), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13040564 - 13 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1835
Abstract
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi associated with a variety of acute and chronic foodborne diseases. Current toxicology studies mainly rely on monolayer cell cultures and animal models, which are undeniably affected by several limitations. To bridge the gap between the [...] Read more.
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi associated with a variety of acute and chronic foodborne diseases. Current toxicology studies mainly rely on monolayer cell cultures and animal models, which are undeniably affected by several limitations. To bridge the gap between the current in vitro toxicology approach and the in vivo predictability of the data, we here investigated the cytotoxic effects induced by the mycotoxins sterigmatocystin (STE), ochratoxin A (OTA) and patulin (PAT) on different 2D and 3D cell cultures. We focused on human tumours (neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and epithelial breast cancer MDA-MB-213 cells) and healthy cells (bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, BM-MSC, and umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVECs). The cytotoxicity of STE, OTA, and PAT was determined after 24, 48 and 72 h of exposure using an ATP assay in both culture models. Three-dimensional spheroids’ morphology was also analysed using the MATLAB-based open source software AnaSP 1.4 version. Our results highlight how each cell line and different culture models showed specific sensitivities, reinforcing the importance of using more complex models for toxicology studies and a multiple cell line approach for an improved and more comprehensive risk assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Toxicity Induction and Safety Evaluation of Mycotoxins in Food)
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16 pages, 659 KiB  
Article
Co-Occurrence of Aflatoxin B1, Zearalenone and Ochratoxin A in Feed and Feed Materials in Central Italy from 2018 to 2022
by Stefano Sdogati, Tommaso Pacini, Rita Bibi, Angela Caporali, Emanuela Verdini, Serenella Orsini, Roberta Ortenzi and Ivan Pecorelli
Foods 2024, 13(2), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020313 - 18 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1657
Abstract
Mycotoxin contamination of feed and feed materials represent a serious health hazard. This study details the occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in 826 feed and 617 feed material samples, collected in two Italian Regions [...] Read more.
Mycotoxin contamination of feed and feed materials represent a serious health hazard. This study details the occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in 826 feed and 617 feed material samples, collected in two Italian Regions (Umbria and Marche) from 2018 to 2022 analyzed using a UPLC-FLD platform. The developed method was validated and accredited (ISO/IEC 17025) with satisfactory accuracy and precision data obtained in repeatability and intralaboratory reproducibility conditions. Feed had a higher incidence of contaminated samples (26%) with respect to feed materials (6%). AFB1 was found up to 0.1045 mg/kg in cattle feeds and 0.1234 mg/kg in maize; ZEN was detected up to 6.420 mg/kg in sheep feed while OTA was rarely reported and in lower concentrations (up to 0.085 mg/kg). Co-contamination of at least two mycotoxins was reported in 0.8% of the analyzed samples. The incidence of above maximum content/guidance level samples was 2% for feed and feed materials while almost 3-fold-higher for maize (5.8%) suggesting how mycotoxin contamination can affect some matrices more than others. Obtained data can be useful to improve official monitoring plans and therefore further raise awareness of this issue between agriculture stakeholders, healthcare entities and non-professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Toxicity Induction and Safety Evaluation of Mycotoxins in Food)
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12 pages, 1107 KiB  
Article
Migration Degree of Selected Mycotoxins in the Distillation Process and Their Determination in Distilled Spirits from Pilot-Scale Continuous Distillation
by Jung-Ah Shin and Ki-Teak Lee
Foods 2023, 12(23), 4189; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234189 - 21 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1078
Abstract
Mycotoxins (ochratoxin A (20 ppb), aflatoxin B1 (40 ppb), deoxynivalenol (4 ppm), and zearalenone (800 ppb)) were intentionally added to rice bran raw materials. After fermentation, their contents were determined in the distillate and distillery stillage obtained using single-stage and continuous pilot plant-scale [...] Read more.
Mycotoxins (ochratoxin A (20 ppb), aflatoxin B1 (40 ppb), deoxynivalenol (4 ppm), and zearalenone (800 ppb)) were intentionally added to rice bran raw materials. After fermentation, their contents were determined in the distillate and distillery stillage obtained using single-stage and continuous pilot plant-scale columns. After single-stage distillation, aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone were not detected in the distillate, indicating that even if a certain amount (four times the maximum residue limit (MRL)) was present in the raw material, it would not remain in the distillate after fermentation and distillation. Most mycotoxins remained in the distillery stillage, and their residual rates ranged from 54.0–96.2%. For ochratoxin A, 0.19 ppb was found in the distillate and this migration occurred in three consecutive distillations (0.11–0.22 ppb). Ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1 were not detected in the distillate (alcohol content 93.9% and 95.4%, respectively) obtained from the contaminated fermented liquid (approximately three times the MRL based on the raw material) using the pilot-plant scale continuous distillation column. Therefore, the migration of mycotoxins is difficult when the distilled spirit is produced using a continuous distillation column, even if the raw material is contaminated with certain amounts of the investigated mycotoxins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Toxicity Induction and Safety Evaluation of Mycotoxins in Food)
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