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The aim of this study was to determine the degree of mold contamination and mycotoxin levels in commercially available green coffee products and dietary supplements with green coffee extract. The study included 34 samples from green coffee products: raw beans (n = 16), ground coffee (n = 15) and instant coffee (n = 3), as well as 22 samples from dietary supplements in form of capsules (n = 19), tablets (n = 2) and sachets (n = 1). Total mold count was determined with spread-plate method. Anamorphic mold were identified based on their microscopic morphology and the type of sporulation. Concentrations of mycotoxins, ochratoxin A and citrinin, were quantified by means of HPLC-fluorescence detection. Molds, typically Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp., were found in 94% of green coffee beans, 100% of ground and instant coffee samples, and 55% of dietary supplement samples. None of the samples contained detectable levels of citrinin. Ochratoxin A (0.4 ng/g) was detected in only one sample of raw green coffee beans, but in up to 40% and 67% of ground and instant coffee samples, respectively. Mean concentrations of ochratoxin A in ground and instant coffee samples were 3.28 ng/g and 4.09 ng/g, respectively, and maximum concentrations amounted to 6.65 ng/g and 7.44 ng/g, respectively. Ochratoxin A (mean concentration 9.60 ng/g, maximum level 31.4 ng/g) was also detected in up to 58% of the supplement capsules, but in none of tablets and sachets., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Plants and medicinal herbs that are available on the market do not always meet quality and safety standards. One particular concern is the risk of contamination with mycotoxins. Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are the most frequently described mycotoxins in herbal products and have repeatedly been reported to occur at concentrations which exceed regulatory levels set by the European Union (EU). Possible solutions include enforcing existing limits, and for the new materials, establishing tighter limits and mandate the growth of medicinal plants in EU member countries under more strict conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Poland is one of Europe's leading producers and exporters of beer. The study, herein, describes the measurement of ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and zearalenone levels in 69 Polish beers. Analytical methodologies based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and fluorescence detection were developed, validated, and used to perform the above determinations. The most prevalent mycotoxins were deoxynivalenol (96%), ochratoxin A (93%), and HT-2 toxin (74%), respectively. Three quarters of the samples contained at least three analytes. The mean ochratoxin A concentration was 0.057 (SD 0.065) ng/mL, and in four beer samples its level exceeded 0.2 ng/mL, a value postulated in the literature to be the maximum limit. Deoxynivalenol was found at a maximum level of 56.2 ng/mL, and its mean concentration was 17.1 (SD 9.0) ng/mL. An evaluation of the estimated daily intake (EDI) of mycotoxins from beer in different European populations was made using food-consumption data prepared by WHO. Based on the mean ochratoxin A concentration in beers, the EDI represented 0.8-1.1% of the tolerable daily intake (TDI), while in a worst-case scenario (maximum concentration) it reached 5.0-7.5% of TDI. For deoxynivalenol, the EDI was in the range of 4.1-6.0% of TDI, whereas, based on maximum values, it reached the level of 14-21% of TDI. There were no significant differences between "scenarios" in the HT-2 case (mean-5.0-7.5% of TDI; maximum-6.5-9.7% of TDI) due to the fact that its concentration was near the limit of quantification (LOQ) value taken for calculation. The significance of these results are discussed, herein.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) are mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genus Fusarium which frequently contaminate maize and grain cereals. Mycotoxin-contaminated feed endangers animal health and leads to economic losses in animal production. Several mycotoxin elimination strategies, including the use of commercially available DON and ZEN detoxifying agents, have been developed. However, frequently there is no scientific proof of the efficacy of such adsorbents and degrading products. We therefore tested 20 commercially available products claiming to detoxify DON and/or ZEN either by biodegradation (4 products) or a combination of degradation and adsorption (16 products) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at approx. pH 7. Under the applied conditions, a complete reduction of DON and consequent formation of the known non-toxic metabolite DOM-1 was exclusively observed in samples taken from the anaerobic degradation experiment of one product. For all other products, incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, a maximum DON reduction of 17% after 72 h of incubation was detected. Aerobic and anaerobic incubation of only one tested product resulted in complete ZEN reduction as well as in the formation of the less-toxic metabolites DHZEN and HZEN. With this product, 68-97% of the toxin was metabolised within 3 h. After 24 h, a ZEN reduction ≥ 60% was obtained with four additional products during aerobic incubation only. Six of the 20 investigated products produced α- and/or β-ZEL, which are metabolites showing similar oestrogenic activity compared to ZEN. Aerobic and anaerobic degradation to unknown metabolites with unidentified toxicity was obtained with 10 and 3 products, respectively. The results of our study demonstrate the importance of in vitro experiments to critically screen agents claiming mycotoxin detoxification.

In this study moulds and 12 mycotoxins in dry pet food samples (25 for dogs and 24 for cats) were determined. Primary moulds identified were Aspergillus, Mucor and Penicillium, found in 55% of the samples. Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone (ZEN) were detected in all samples with mean respective concentrations being 97.3 and 38.3 µg kg(-1) in cat food and 114 and 20.1 µg kg(-1) in dog food. T-2 and HT-2 toxins were present in 88% and 84% of the samples, respectively. Two samples contained fumonisins, with a maximum concentration of 108 µg kg(-1). Aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A were detected in 8% and 45% of the samples, respectively. The measured mould and mycotoxin levels were consistent with results obtained by other studies. However, potential exposure to relatively high concentrations of an oestrogen mycotoxin as is ZEN, especially when in combination with other mycotoxins, needs attention.