The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania

(1) Background: Food and feed safety legislation does not concern all the mycotoxins generated by <i>Penicillium</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i> spp. Certain mycotoxins, including mycophenolic acid (MPA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), penicillic acid (PA), roquefortine C (ROQ C), and...

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Main Authors: Dritan Topi, Zamir Damani, Janja Babič, Breda Jakovac-Strajn, Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/22/5292
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author Dritan Topi
Zamir Damani
Janja Babič
Breda Jakovac-Strajn
Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher
author_facet Dritan Topi
Zamir Damani
Janja Babič
Breda Jakovac-Strajn
Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher
author_sort Dritan Topi
collection DOAJ
description (1) Background: Food and feed safety legislation does not concern all the mycotoxins generated by <i>Penicillium</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i> spp. Certain mycotoxins, including mycophenolic acid (MPA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), penicillic acid (PA), roquefortine C (ROQ C), and gliotoxin (GLI), are regarded as having lower toxicity levels, and hence are not included in food and feed legislation. It is obvious that xenobiotics, including mycotoxins, exert synergistic harmful health effects on human and animal when exposed through food and feed. (2) Methods: The presence of these substances in maize and wheat grown in Albania across two consecutive harvesting seasons was investigated by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). (3) Results: The findings indicated the presence of these mycotoxins in maize grain but not in wheat grain. In the 2014 season, they exhibited a higher contamination incidence than in the 2015 season. The most commonly detected mycotoxin was MPA, followed by CPA and ROQ C toxin, while PA and GLI were not detected. The MPA revealed a concentration range of 72.9–3447 μg/kg, with a mean value of 1064 μg/kg. Mycophenolic acid was detected in the maize samples collected during the 2015 season. (4) Conclusions: These findings suggest that focusing the investigation only on “controlled” mycotoxins will not produce a proper risk assessment and may not adequately address the possible harmful impacts of mycotoxins on human and animal health due to mycotoxins’ co-occurrence.
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spelling doaj-art-730f9c8bbff6497b95eede1060a905e92025-08-20T02:04:59ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492024-11-012922529210.3390/molecules29225292The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in AlbaniaDritan Topi0Zamir Damani1Janja Babič2Breda Jakovac-Strajn3Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher4Institute of Food Safety, Feed and Environment, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaDepartment of Diagnostics and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Technical Sciences, University of Medicine of Tirana, Kongresi i Manastirit Street, P.O. BOX 1000 Tirana, AlbaniaInstitute of Food Safety, Feed and Environment, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaInstitute of Food Safety, Feed and Environment, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaInstitute of Food Safety, Feed and Environment, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia(1) Background: Food and feed safety legislation does not concern all the mycotoxins generated by <i>Penicillium</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i> spp. Certain mycotoxins, including mycophenolic acid (MPA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), penicillic acid (PA), roquefortine C (ROQ C), and gliotoxin (GLI), are regarded as having lower toxicity levels, and hence are not included in food and feed legislation. It is obvious that xenobiotics, including mycotoxins, exert synergistic harmful health effects on human and animal when exposed through food and feed. (2) Methods: The presence of these substances in maize and wheat grown in Albania across two consecutive harvesting seasons was investigated by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). (3) Results: The findings indicated the presence of these mycotoxins in maize grain but not in wheat grain. In the 2014 season, they exhibited a higher contamination incidence than in the 2015 season. The most commonly detected mycotoxin was MPA, followed by CPA and ROQ C toxin, while PA and GLI were not detected. The MPA revealed a concentration range of 72.9–3447 μg/kg, with a mean value of 1064 μg/kg. Mycophenolic acid was detected in the maize samples collected during the 2015 season. (4) Conclusions: These findings suggest that focusing the investigation only on “controlled” mycotoxins will not produce a proper risk assessment and may not adequately address the possible harmful impacts of mycotoxins on human and animal health due to mycotoxins’ co-occurrence.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/22/5292mycophenolic acidcyclopiazonic acidroquefortine Cpenicillic acidgliotoxinmaize
spellingShingle Dritan Topi
Zamir Damani
Janja Babič
Breda Jakovac-Strajn
Gabrijela Tavčar-Kalcher
The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania
Molecules
mycophenolic acid
cyclopiazonic acid
roquefortine C
penicillic acid
gliotoxin
maize
title The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania
title_full The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania
title_fullStr The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania
title_full_unstemmed The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania
title_short The Presence of Some Minor <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i> Unregulated Mycotoxins in Main Cereals Cultivated in Albania
title_sort presence of some minor i aspergillus i and i penicillium i unregulated mycotoxins in main cereals cultivated in albania
topic mycophenolic acid
cyclopiazonic acid
roquefortine C
penicillic acid
gliotoxin
maize
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/22/5292
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