Aflatoxin

Among microorganisms found in food, fungi stand out because they are adaptable and competitive in a large range of water activities, temperatures, pHs, humidities and substrate types. Besides sporulating, some species are toxigenic and produce toxic metabolites, mycotoxins, under adverse biotic and abiotic variables. Microorganisms are inactivated along the food chain, but mycotoxins have stable structures and remain in ready-to-eat food. The most prevalent mycotoxins in food, which are aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, patulin, tenuazonic acid, trichothecenes and zearalenone, have maximum tolerable limits (MTLs) defined as ppb and ppt by official organizations...

Conventional spherical nucleic acid enzymes (SNAzymes), made with gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) cores and DNA shells, are widely applied in bioanalysis owing to their excellent physicochemical properties. Albeit important, the crowded catalytic units (such as G-quadruplex, G4) on the limited AuNPs surface inevitably influence their catalytic activities. Herin, a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) is employed as a means to expand the quantity and spaces of G4 enzymes for their catalytic ability enhancement. Through systematic investigations, we found that when an incomplete G4 sequence was linked at the sticky ends of the hairpins with split modes (3:1 and 2:2), this would significantly decrease the HCR hybridization capability due to increased steric hindrance...

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) and its precursors contaminate food and agricultural products, posing a significant risk to food safety and human health, but simultaneous and effective extraction and determination of AFB1 and its precursors with varied structures is still a challenging task. RESULTS: In this study, a bisimidazolium-type ionic liquid functionalized mesoporous multipod silica (SiO2 @mPMO-IL(im)2 ) was fabricated to extract AFB1 and its two precursors, i...

Mycotoxins are important risk factors in beer. In this study, a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed to determine 10 mycotoxins in beer within 6 min. The method is fast, efficient, and has a simple and quick sample preparation. Validation was conducted based on the performance standards specified in Commission Decision 657/2002/EC, and the results demonstrated excellent linearity (R2  > 0.99), repeatability (RSD < 5 %), quantification limits (0...

Mycotoxins can inflict harmful effects on diverse organs, and mounting evidence indicates their potential involvement in human neurodegenerative diseases. Given the common occurrence of these toxins in food, there is an increasing demand for a comprehensive assessment of their combined toxicity to enhance our understanding of their potential hazards. This research investigates mycotoxin exposure from widely consumed cereal-based products, including enniatin B (ENNB), sterigmatocystin (STG), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), cyclopiazonic acid (CPZ), citrinin (CIT), and ochratoxin A (OTA)...

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi and identified as contaminants in animal feed. They have potentially harmful effects, including carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and repro-toxicity in animals and humans. As a result of climate change, there is the potential for a change in the prevalence and concentration of mycotoxins in animal feed components. This necessitates an assessment of the present and emerging threats to the food supply chain from mycotoxins. This systematic review and meta-analysis study synthesised studies on mycotoxin contamination and prevalence in cattle feed components...

In many parts of the world, including Cameroon, mycotoxin contamination of groundnuts remains a major constraint affecting their use as food. Understanding the contributing factors is an essential intervention to reduce contamination and people's exposure to these harmful toxins. The aim of this research was to identify the factors associated with the knowledge, perceptions, and postharvest practices of groundnut farmers in three production basins in Cameroon. Data were collected through surveys and analyzed using descriptive methods and logistic regression models...

This study presents a novel approach toward the one-pot green synthesis of ZIF-8/IgG composite, focusing on its precise orientation and protection of the anti-aflatoxins antibody. The antibody orientation is achieved through the specific binding of IgG to the Fc region of the antibody, while the antibody protection is accomplished by the structural change restriction of ZIF-8 framework to the antibody. Consequently, the antibody exhibits enhanced target capability and significantly improved tolerance to organic solvents...

Aflatoxins, harmful substances found in peanuts, corn, and their derivatives, pose significant health risks. Addressing this, the presented research introduces an innovative MSGhostDNN model, merging contrastive learning with multi-scale convolutional networks for precise aflatoxin detection. The method significantly enhances feature discrimination, achieving an impressive 97.87% detection accuracy with a pre-trained model. By applying Grad-CAM, it further refines the model to identify key wavelengths, particularly 416 nm, and focuses on 40 key wavelengths for optimal performance with 97...

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) is a virulent metabolite secreted by Aspergillus fungi, impacting crop quality and posing health risks to human. Herein, a dual-mode Raman/fluorescence aptasensor was constructed to detect AFB1 . The aptasensor was assembled by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), while the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effects were both realized. AuNPs were modified with the Raman signal molecule 4-MBA and the complementary chain of AFB1 aptamer (cDNA)...

On-farm losses of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L., Fabales: Fabaceae) pose a persistent threat to the sustainable production and value of peanuts in the United States. This study presents empirical data on the spatial distribution of subterranean insect pests and various quality aspects of peanuts. Surveys were conducted in 20 randomly selected peanut fields in 10 counties in Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Georgia. The primary insect pests found in Georgia's peanut production counties were Pangaeus bilineatus (Say), Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), and Diabrotica undecimpunctata Howardi...

Mycotoxin contamination poses substantial health risks to humans and animals. In this study, the two laccases PpLac1 and AoLac2 from Pleurotus pulmonarius and Aspergillus oryzae were selected and heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris in a food-grade manner to detoxify aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ), zearalenone (ZEN), and deoxynivalenol (DON). Both laccases exhibited degradation activity toward these three mycotoxins, while the efficiency of these for DON was relatively low. Therefore, molecular docking between these laccases and DON was conducted to analyze their potential interaction mechanisms...

The study reports the efficacy of nanofabricated citronellal inside the chitosan biopolymer (NeCn) against Aspergillus flavus growth, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) production, and active ingredient biodeterioration (Piperine) in Piper longum L. The prepared NeCn was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results revealed that the NeCn exhibited distantly improved antifungal (1.25 μL/mL) and AFB1 inhibition (1...

A dual-signal ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor has been developed  for AFB1 detection using thionine/Au/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (Thi/Au/ZIF-8) nanomaterials and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) reaction. Thi/Au/ZIF-8 combined with DNA hairpin 2 (H2) was used as a signal probe. [Fe(CN)6 ]3-/4- was served as another signal probe, and the IThi/Au/ZIF-8 /I[Fe(CN)6] 3-/4- ratio was for the first time utilized to quantify AFB1. AFB1-induced CHA was used to expand the ratio of electrical signals...

Aflatoxin (AF) poisoning of staple foods, such as rice, is caused by fungal contamination by Aspergillus species. These AFs are genotoxic, carcinogenic and suppress the immune system. Hence, the present study was conducted to elucidate the prevalence of AF contamination in rice samples collected from local markets of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The rice samples collected were analysed for AF by using HPLC-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). Based on AF contamination levels and dietary intake of rice, the health risk was assessed by the margin of exposure (MOE) and liver cancer risk in adults, adolescence and children...

Aflatoxins (AFs) are produced by fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus and are one of the most toxic mycotoxins found in agricultural products and food. Aflatoxin contamination, which requires the control of A. flavus , remains problematic because of the lack of effective strategies and the exploration of new compounds that can inhibit A. flavus growth and mycotoxin production is urgently required to alleviate potential deleterious effects. Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) and dihydroxy acid dehydratase are important enzymes in the biosynthetic pathways of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including isoleucine, leucine, and valine...

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ), a highly toxic secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus, poses a severe threat to agricultural production, food safety and human health. The methylation of mRNA m6 A has been identified as a regulator of both the growth and AFB1 production of A. flavus. However, its intracellular occurrence and function needs to be elucidated. Here, we identified and characterized a m6 A methyltransferase, AflIme4, in A. flavus. The enzyme was localized in the cytoplasm, and knockout of AflIme4 significantly reduced the methylation modification level of mRNA...

This study investigates the individual and combined effects of the mycotoxins, Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), Enniatin B (ENNB) and Sterigmatocystin (STG), on the cellular viability of gastric (NCI-N87), intestinal (Caco-2), hepatic (Hep-G2) and renal (Hek-293) cells, shedding light on synergistic or antagonistic effects using a constant ratio combination design proposed by Chou-Talalay. These toxins are prevalent in cereal-based foods, frequently consumed by children which raises concerns about their exposure to these mycotoxins...

Rice blast, an extremely destructive disease caused by the filamentous fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, poses a global threat to the production of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The emerging trend of reducing dependence on chemical fungicides for crop protection has increased interest in exploring bioformulated nanomaterials as a sustainable alternative antimicrobial strategy for effectively managing plant diseases. Herein, we used physiomorphological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic methods to investigate the toxicity and molecular action mechanisms of moringa-chitosan nanoparticles (M-CNPs) against M...

Protein powders, including those containing herbal and dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and other natural or synthetic ingredients, can be associated with hepatotoxicity. Protein supplements are often mislabeled and deceptive in their contents. In this self-funded transparent study, we extensively analyzed popular protein supplements in India to identify potential hepatotoxic substances based on industrial standards. All products underwent extensive analysis, including total protein content, fungal aflatoxin detection, pesticide residue estimation, heavy metal quantification, steroid detection, and complete organic and inorganic profiling, according to industry standards...