Search

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are widely consumed legumes in Latin America and Africa, valued for their nutritional compounds and antioxidants. Their high polyphenol content contributes to the antioxidant properties, with bioactive compounds showing antifungal and antimycotoxin effects. Certain polyphenols, accumulated in the grain coat, exhibit antimicrobial activity. Mycotoxins, produced mainly by fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, pose health risks. This study explores polyphenols in tepary bean and in different common bean varieties, assessing their effect against aflatoxins. In vitro tests were done using grains inoculated with A. flavus to induce mycotoxin production, while polyphenols were extracted from non-inoculated grains. Polyphenol-rich extract reduced aflatoxin B1 produced by the fungus. In most bean varieties, especially red-grain types, the fungus exhibited decreased aflatoxin production, negatively correlating with flavonoids. Catechin was associated with reduced A. flavus toxigenicity. This study highlights beans' potential in mitigating aflatoxin contamination through their phenolic compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Food safety problem caused by aflatoxins (AFs) has become a major concern worldwide. However, due to the complexity of food matrices and the low concentration of analytes, the accurate and sensitive determination of AFs and their precursors in the biosynthetic pathway is extremely challenging, so the development of efficient sample preparation techniques has been urgently required. This paper reviews the recent advances in sample preparation based on some emerging extraction media for the determination of AFs and their precursors in different food samples, including ionic liquids (ILs) and IL-based composites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). These extraction media can be combined with different sample preparation techniques, such as dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, solid-phase extraction, and magnetic/dispersive solid-phase extraction, mainly depending on their physicochemical properties. They exhibit efficient extraction and enrichment performance towards AFs and their precursors, which is attributed to their multiple-interaction mechanism and/or porous structure. This review also presents the current challenges and future prospects of these emerging extraction media for sample preparation of AFs and their precursors from food., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The infant flours produced in Burkina Faso are essentially a mixture of cereals and legumes. These raw materials are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins which pose a huge food safety and public health threat. The objective of this study was to determine mycotoxin levels in raw materials and infant flours in Ouagadougou and to investigate the impact of decontamination on the raw materials used in infant flour production. A total of 22 cereals and 17 legumes as raw materials and 26 infant flour samples were analysed for aflatoxins, fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ), and ochratoxin A (OTA) by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, while saline treatment and hand-sorting of grains in mycotoxin reduction were tested. All the samples of raw materials and infant flours were contaminated with aflatoxins, whereas 20.5% and 38.5% of raw materials and 57.7% and 61.5% of infant flours, respectively, were contaminated by FB 1 and OTA. These decontamination assays significantly reduced the levels of mycotoxins. AFB 1 was reduced by 48% after soaking of maize for 6 h in a 6% NaCl solution. Sorting resulted in a 92% reduction in AFB 1 content in peanut. However, soaking in saline solution did not reduce the FB 1 and OTA contents. Sorting did not also reduce FB 1 contents in peanut. Sorting and soaking in 6% saline solution for 6 h are production processes that lead to a reduction in the level of contamination by aflatoxins in maize and peanut used as raw materials for infant flour production., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species that infect staple foods like maize causing threat to public health and economic impacts. The use of atoxigenic Aspergillus species is considered one of the promising technologies to prevent aflatoxin contamination in maize. Tanzania approved the use of aflatoxin biocontrol (Aflasafe®) in 2018 and introduced it to eight districts. Adoption and effectiveness of this technology depend on many factors including application of pre- and post-harvest practices. There is scant information on awareness of biocontrol and factors which influence the adoption and effectiveness of this technology. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tanzania to assess awareness and identify factors influencing adoption of the technology. Data was collected from 334 smallholder farmers in Kiteto and Chemba districts and analyzed using SPSS version 20; p-values < 0.05 using a two-tailed test were considered statistically significant. Results indicated 95.4% are not aware and that only 2.7% of the farmers had used biocontrol technology. The use of biocontrol was significantly associated with high income level (p = 0.001) and exposure to print media (p = 0.03) and radio (p = 0.008). The use of hybrid seed (p = 0.01), grazing (p = 0.017), and rotation of crops on yearly basis (p = 0.024) were also significantly associated with the use of biocontrol. Income limits the use of biocontrol, requiring government subsidies for Aflasafe and a premium market for aflatoxin-free maize. Aflatoxin awareness and sensitization on adherence to good pre-harvest practices should be emphasized to enhance adoption of the technology., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aims to comprehensively assess the presence of aflatoxins, pervasive fungal toxins, and heavy metals (lead, chromium, cadmium) in the local feed of fish and shrimp. Forty-eight samples of the fish and shrimp feed were collected from the Dhaka and Sathkhira districts of Bangladesh respectively. Aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detector, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) was used for the heavy metal detection after sample digestion. The standard analytical methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists were followed for analyzing the proximate composition of the feed samples. The findings revealed the high toxic concentration of total aflatoxins particularly in fish feed (196.25 μg/kg). Concurrently, varying concentrations of heavy metals, including lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr), were detected, with the highest levels found in shrimp feed at 3.324 and 174.6 mg/kg, respectively. In comparison, highest contamination of cadmium (Cd) was found in fish feed at 0.398 mg/kg. The outcomes are growing concerns regarding the quality of locally sourced feed and emphasizing the need for prompt corrective actions. Otherwise, neglecting this concern may lead to the possibility of both fish and, ultimately, humans who consume them being vulnerable to the absorption and accumulation of these assessed toxic compounds., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: Not applicable Consent to Participate: All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript. Consent for Publication: All authors approved for this publication. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Exposure of school children to aflatoxin and fumonisin is mainly through diet. In Kenyan public schools, children are given porridge made from maize flour for breakfast, a mixture of maize and beans, also known as githeri for lunch and ugali for dinner. Nixtamalization has proved to reduce mycotoxins in most cereals and not a mixture of maize and beans. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the exposure of primary school children in Turkana County to aflatoxin and fumonisin through maize-based food under the school meals program and the effectiveness of nixtamalization in the reduction of these mycotoxins. Samples of githeri were randomly collected from all public primary schools (n = 128) under the homegrown school meals program in Turkana County and analyzed for aflatoxin and fumonisin. The data was analyzed using SAS software, version 9.4. The deterministic model was used to calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) and the margin of exposure (MOE) used to characterize the exposure risk. The contaminated samples were then treated with various concentrations of Ca(OH) 2 , 0.5-2.5%. The treated samples were cooked for 60 and 75 min and soaked for 6 and 8 h. Forty percent of the schools contained githeri samples with aflatoxin B1 levels above 5 µg/Kg, the maximum limit for Kenya. Exposure to aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin was up to 2 µg/kg/bw/day. The range for fumonisin exposure was 60-80 µg/kg/bw/day. Ca(OH) 2 concentration levels of up to 2.5% reduced aflatoxin by 75% and fumonisin by 72%. The findings indicate that githeri is contaminated with aflatoxin and fumonisin which exposes school children to these mycotoxins and nixtamalization can be used to reduce mycotoxin contamination in githeri., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: This research is a cross-sectional study and not a clinical trial. It aims to provide baseline data on the exposure of school children to aflatoxin and fumonisin through school meals. The results obtained by the study can be used in further studies on long-term exposure and possible interventions. This research complies with the current laws in Kenya and was registered with the KNH-UoN Ethics and Research Committee. Human ethics declarations are not applicable. Consent to participate: Informed written consent was obtained from the participants by signing a consent form. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The silymarin complex extracted from milk thistle provides significant health benefits, particularly due to its antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. However, plant substances can be contaminated by a number of fungi types and their secondary metabolites-mycotoxins. This work deals with the determination of aflatoxins and zearalenone and its metabolites in 39 different samples grown in 2020 and 2021. Analysis of mycotoxins was performed by UHPLC-MS/MS after immunoaffinity column AFLAPREP ® and EASI-EXTRACT ® ZEARALENONE clean-up. The presence of aflatoxins was not confirmed in the monitored samples, but 1/3 of the samples were contaminated with zearalenone in the range of 2.8-378.9 µg/kg. Metabolites of zearalenone such as α-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, and β-zearalanol were not detected in any of the samples. β-Zearalenol was found in two samples (2.6 µg/kg and 29.8 µg/kg)., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study examined the effects of fumonisins (FBs) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), alone or in combination, on the productivity and health of laying hens, as well as the transfer of aflatoxins (AFs) to chicken food products. The efficacy and safety of mycotoxin detoxifiers (bentonite and fumonisin esterase) to mitigate these effects were also assessed. Laying hens (400) were divided into 20 groups and fed a control, moderate (54.6 µg/kg feed) or high (546 µg/kg feed) AFB1 or FBs (7.9 mg/kg feed) added diets, either alone or in combination, with the mycotoxin detoxifiers added in selected diets. Productivity was evaluated by feed intake, egg weight, egg production, and feed conversion ratio whereas health was assessed by organ weights, blood biochemistry, and mortality. Aflatoxins residues in plasma, liver, muscle, and eggs were determined using UHPLC-MS/MS methods. A diet with AFB1 at a concentration of 546 µg/kg feed decreased egg production and various AFB1-contaminated diets increased serum uric acid levels and weights of liver, spleen, heart, and gizzard. Interactions between AFB1 and FBs significantly impacted spleen, heart, and gizzard weights as well as AFB1 residues in eggs. Maximum AFB1 residues of 0.64 µg/kg and aflatoxin M1 (below limits of quantification) were observed in liver, plasma, and eggs of layers fed diets with AFB1. The mycotoxin detoxifiers reduced effects of AFB1 and FBs on egg production, organ weights, blood biochemistry, and AFB1 residues in tissues. This study highlights the importance of mycotoxin detoxifiers as a mitigation strategy against mycotoxins in poultry production., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aflatoxin contamination of corn can occur when developing kernels are infected by the plant pathogen Aspergillus flavus. One route of infection is from airborne conidia. We executed a series of experiments within the corn canopy during two growing seasons and in two states to document the abundance and dynamics of the airborne A. flavus population. We did not observe any significant diurnal changes in the conidial density (p = 0.171) or any effect of sampler height (p = 0.882) within the canopy. Significant changes (p < 0.001) were noted during the season, with a trend towards increased airborne populations with later stages of corn development and more than a 20-fold increase from July to August. The median aflatoxigenicity of airborne isolates from a corn canopy in Texas was about 50 times higher than the corresponding population in Mississippi. It was also noteworthy that highly aflatoxigenic, weakly sporulating S-morphotypes accounted for 14-30% of the airborne isolates in Mississippi at a site with historically rare abundance of S-morphotypes. The genetic diversity was high among the 140 analyzed airborne isolates, with 76 unique haplotypes identified and 55 haplotypes occurring only in 1 isolate. Even in the context of this highly diverse population, a haplotype matching that of a commercial biocontrol strain was found in 13 of the 70 isolates from Mississippi and 1 of the 70 isolates from Texas. The airborne A. flavus population is genetically diverse (Shannon's index = 1.4 to 1.6), similar to grain samples in other surveys, and much less aflatoxigenic in Mississippi than in Texas., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Mycotoxins have been identified as considerable contaminants in beer. The current investigation's concentration and prevalence of aflatoxins (AFs) in beer were meta-analyzed. The health risk of consumers was estimated through MOEs in the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) model. The rank order of AFs in beer based on pooled prevalence was AFB1 (26.00%) > AFG1 (14.93%) > AFB2 (7.69%) > AFG2 (7.52%), In addition, the rank order of AFs in beer based on their pooled concentration was AFG1 (0.505 µg/l) > AFB1 (0.469 µg/l) > AFB2 (0.134 µg/l) > AFG2 (0.071 µg/l). The prevalence and concentration of AFs in beer in Malawi were higher than in other countries. The health risk assessment shows consumers in all countries, especially Malawi, Brazil, and Cameroon, are exposed to unacceptably health risks (MOEs <10,000). It is recommended to monitor levels of AFs in beer efficiently and implement control plans in order to decrease health risk of exposed population.

Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins (AFs), fumonisins (FBs), zearalenone (ZEN), and deoxynivalenol (DON) pose a risk to public health due to their carcinogenic potency (AFs and FBs) and anti-nutritional effects. The hazards associated with mycotoxins are accentuated where food management practices, control, and regulatory systems from farm to plate are sub-optimal. Information on the frequency of these mycotoxins in rice commercialized in markets in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is limited. The current study examined AF concentrations in 527 rice samples collected from 54 markets in five SSA countries. Grain quality characteristics, processing methods, and origin of samples were contrasted with toxin levels. In total, 72% of the samples had detectable AFs levels (range = 3.0 to 89.8 µg/kg). Forty-seven percent (47%) of the samples had AFs above 4 µg/kg, the European Union maximum level (ML), and were evaluated for cooccurrence with FBs, ZEN, and DON. Total AFs and ZEN cooccurred in 40% of the samples, and 30% of the positive ZEN samples had concentrations above the ML of 75 µg/kg. Total AFs did not co-occur with FBs and DON. Multivariate analysis revealed that length-to-width ratio (p < 0.0001), mixed variety for width (p = 0.04), and chalkiness (p = 0.009) significantly influenced aflatoxin concentrations. Slender grains had higher AFs concentrations than bold and medium grains (p < 0.0001). Possible strategies to mitigate mycotoxin contamination in rice include improving grain quality traits and practicing proper drying and hermetic storage before and after milling. These findings provide valuable insights for both domestic and international actors in establishing and strengthening regulations and management systems to mitigate rice mycotoxin contamination., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: This study does not involve any human or animal testing. Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food crop with a rich history and significant contributions to global nutrition. This study examines the production of rice and rice bran, focusing on their nutritional profiles, bioactive compounds, and the lack of proper guidelines for aflatoxins and arsenic in rice products. Rice bran's potential as a dietary supplement, particularly in addressing nutrient deficiencies and diseases, is highlighted. Arsenic contamination, a critical food safety issue, is discussed, as their accumulation poses significant risks, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and developmental problems. This overview addresses aflatoxin and arsenic contamination, threatening rice's safety and by-products. The structure and characteristics of rice bran, including types of grain polishing, stabilization processes, and toxic elements, are also analyzed. Factors affecting the bioavailability of nutrients, such as pesticide residues and storage conditions, are considered. The review emphasizes the antioxidant properties of rice milling by-products, particularly pigmented rice varieties rich in bioactive compounds. It offers health benefits such as cancer prevention, anti-diarrheal effects, and anti-diabetic properties. This comprehensive analysis underscores rice bran's nutritional and therapeutic value, advocating for its broader utilization to enhance global health and combat nutrient deficiencies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to explore the contamination of aflatoxins by investigating the spatial distribution of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in cow feedstuff and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in raw milk, and the potential health risks of AFM1 in milk and dairy products. Feedstuff and raw milk were collected from 160 pastures in three climate zones of China from October to November 2020. The results indicated the level of AFB1 and AFM1 ranged from 51.1 to 74.1 ng/kg and 3.0 to 7.0 ng/kg, respectively. Spatial analysis indicated the contamination was mostly concentrated in the temperate monsoon climate zone. On average, the estimated dietary exposure to AFM1 from milk and dairy products for Chinese consumers ranged from 0.0138 to 0.0281 ng/kg bw/day, with the MOE values below 10,000, and liver cancer risk of 0.00004-0.00009 cases/100,000 persons/year. For different groups, the average exposure to AFM1 was highest in the temperate monsoon climate zone and for toddlers.

Peanuts are highly susceptible to contamination by aflatoxins, posing a significant threat to human health. This study aims to enhance the accuracy of pixel-level aflatoxin detection in hyperspectral images using an optimized deep learning method. This study developed a CNN-BiLSTM fusion model optimized by the Multi-Verse Optimizer (MVO) algorithm, specifically designed to detect aflatoxins with high precision. The optimized CNN-BiLSTM model was fine-tuned using aflatoxin spectral data at varying concentrations. The results indicate that the fine-tuned MVO-CNN-BiLSTM model achieved the best performance, with a validation accuracy of 94.92 % and a recall rate of 95.59 %. The accuracy of this model is 6.93 % and 3.6 % higher than machine learning methods such as SVM and AdaBoost, respectively. Additionally, it is 4.18 % and 3.08 % higher than deep learning methods such as CNN and the CNN-LSTM fusion model, respectively. This method enhances pixel-level aflatoxin detection accuracy, supporting the development of online detection devices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ambient mass spectrometry allows direct analysis of various sample types with minimal or no pretreatment. However, due to the influence of matrix effects, there are sensitivity and issues in analyzing trace analytes in complex food samples. In this work, we developed a spray mass spectrometry platform based on SSS@TPBD-TPA@MIPs (Stainless steel substrate (SSS), terephthalaldehyde (TPA), N, N, N', N'-tetrakis(p-aminophenyl)-p-phenylenediamine (TPBD), molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)), for rapid, in situ, high-throughput, highly enrichment efficiency and highly selective trace analysis of aflatoxins. By simplifying the sample pretreatment and directly applying high voltage for ESI-MS, the analysis can be completed within 1 min. The established method base on SSS@TPBD-TPA@MIPs exhibited high sensitivity and accuracy when determine trace level AFs in maize and peanuts. The results demonstrated a good linear relationship within the range of 0.01-10 μg/L, with the determination coefficient (R 2 ) ≥ 0.9956. The limits of detection (LODs) was 0.035-0.3 ng/mL and limits of quantitation (LOQs) was 0.12-0.99 ng/mL, with acceptable recovery rate of 82.09-115.66 % and good repeatability represented by the relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 17.43 %. Furthermore, SSS@TPBD-TPA@MIPs exhibited excellent reusability, with more than 8 repeated uses, and showed good adsorption performance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Aflatoxins, zearalenone and its metabolites, as representative hazard mycotoxins cause adverse effects on food safety and human health. Developing a sensitive and reliable extraction and detection method is of great importance for monitoring their residue and exposure levels. In contrast to traditional trial-and-error selection steps, 4,4',4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl) trianiline covalent-bonding with 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalaldehyde, namely TAPT-OH-COF was screened as a potential adsorbent utilizing density functional theory calculations prior to the synthesis procedure. After experimental verification, magnetic TAPT-OH-COFs were prepared, characterized and applied for the extraction of aflatoxins, zearalenone and its metabolites from food and biological samples, coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrophy detection. Under the optimal conditions, the developed method exhibited low limits of quantification (0.05-0.50 μg/kg), satisfactory recoveries (75.8 %-110.9 %) and good precision with intraday and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs) not exceeding 12.2 %. This study may provide great potential for the selection of candidate adsorbents for multi-mycotoxins extraction from complex samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Human exposure to mycotoxins is common and often severe in underregulated maize-based food systems. This study explored how monitoring of these systems could help to identify when and where outbreaks occur and inform potential mitigation efforts. Within a maize smallholder system in Kongwa District, Tanzania, we performed two food surveys of mycotoxin contamination at local grain mills, documenting high levels of aflatoxins and fumonisins in maize destined for human consumption. A farmer questionnaire documented diverse pre-harvest and post-harvest practices among smallholder farmers. We modeled maize aflatoxins and fumonisins as a function of diverse indicators of mycotoxin risk based on survey data, high-resolution geospatial environmental data (normalized difference vegetation index and soil quality), and proximal near-infrared spectroscopy. Interestingly, mixed linear models revealed that all data types explained some portion of variance in aflatoxin and fumonisin concentrations. Including all covariates, 2015 models explained 27.6% and 20.6% of variation in aflatoxin and fumonisin, and 2019 models explained 39.4% and 40.0% of variation in aflatoxin and fumonisin. This study demonstrates the value of using low-cost risk factors to model mycotoxins and provides a framework for designing and implementing mycotoxin monitoring within smallholder settings., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Stafstrom et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi, pose significant health risks when present in plant-based supplements (PBS), necessitating thorough risk assessment to ensure consumer safety. This study evaluates the health risks associated with mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxins (AFB 1 , AFB 2 ) and ochratoxin A (OTA), in PBS sold in Malaysia. Contamination levels of AFB 1 , AFB 2 , and OTA were quantified in 14 PBS samples using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. All samples tested positive for AFB 2 , while 28.57% and 42.86% tested positive for AFB 1 and OTA, respectively with some levels exceeding the regulatory limits set by the Malaysian Food Act 1983 and European regulations. The estimated daily intake of these mycotoxins was calculated based on the recommended daily intake of each supplement. To assess risk, Margin of Exposure (MOE) values were determined, showing that all AFB 2 -positive samples had MOE values below the critical threshold of 10,000, indicating an urgent need for risk management. A quantitative cancer risk assessment also estimated the percentage of hepatocellular carcinoma and kidney cancer attributable to mycotoxin exposure. The findings emphasize the significant public health risks posed by mycotoxins, particularly in samples B2 and B10, where all three mycotoxins studied were present at concerning levels. This study highlights the urgent need for stricter regulations and better monitoring of mycotoxin levels in PBS to protect consumer's health., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Aflatoxins (AFs) are some of the most important mycotoxins or fungal toxins that cause contamination of food products and are considered a threat to human and animal health. An efficient Cu/β-cyclodextrin/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (Cu/β-CD/rGO) has been prepared and applied as a new solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the separation and preconcentration of four AFs (B 1 , B 2 , G 1 , and G 2 ) using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). The successful synthesis of the prepared nanocomposite was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The impacts of pH, amount of adsorbent, sample volume, desorption solvent volume, and salt concentration on the recovery of AFs were precisely investigated and optimized by central composite design (CCD). Under the optimal conditions, the introduced method demonstrated good linearity in the range of 0.4-5.4, 0.08-1.08, 0.4-5.4, and 0.08-1.08 ng g -1 for AFs B 1 , B 2 , G 1 and G 2 , respectively. The limits of detection and quantification for the four AFs were obtained in the range of 0.06-0.53 and 0.20-1.62 ng g -1 , respectively. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using recovery measurements in spiked real samples such as rice, bean, and ginger samples, and satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the range of 83.5-109.0% with good precision (RSDs between 2.4 and 8.6%). The results of this research revealed that our developed method is sensitive, highly effective, and convenient to perform for the trace analysis of AFs in different real samples.

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi, are present in food and feed worldwide. Acute and chronic dietary exposures can induce adverse health effects in humans and animals. Among the various mycotoxins, aflatoxins pose significant health concerns to the general public. In the early 1960s, a total of more than 100000 turkey poults died from an unknown turkey "X" disease in England. The disease was associated with Brazilian groundnut meal contaminated by Aspergillus flavus, from which aflatoxins were first isolated from the fungal culture broth. Subsequent studies revealed that aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) is the most potent carcinogen among all aflatoxins, affecting both humans and various animal species. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified AFB 1 as a Group 1 human carcinogen. Aflatoxins are present in a wide variety of food items, including cereals, nuts, fruits, and spices. A survey conducted in Japan between 2004 and 2006 revealed that peanut products, cacao products, peppers, and Job's tears were contaminated with aflatoxins. To reduce exposure, Japan has set a regulatory limit of 10 µg/kg for total aflatoxins [sum of AFB 1 , aflatoxin B 2 (AFB 2 ), aflatoxin G 1 (AFG 1 ), and aflatoxin G 2 (AFG 2 )] for all food items. The National Institute of Health Sciences has developed official analytical methods for determining aflatoxins in foods which are used for quarantine inspection of imported foods. In this symposium, the regulations and analytical methods for aflatoxins are introduced.

The development of more sensitive, stable, and portable biosensors is crucial for meeting the growing demands of diverse and complex detection environments. MOF-based nanozymes have emerged as excellent optical reporters, making them ideal signal donors for constructing multi-signal lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA). In this study, a ZrFe-MOF@PtNPs nanocomposite was synthesized by uniformly depositing platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) onto the surface of ZrFe-MOFs using an impregnation-reduction method. The ZrFe-MOF@PtNPs exhibited broad absorption spectra, excellent peroxidase-like activity (SA = 21.77 U/mg), high solvent stability, and efficient antibody binding capability. A portable LFIA platform was developed based on ZrFe-MOF@PtNPs and a smartphone for the targeted detection of carcinogenic aflatoxins. This method enabled the readout of colorimetric, fluorescent, and catalytic signals, significantly enhancing detection sensitivity, ensuring result accuracy, and expanding the dynamic detection range. For aflatoxin M1, the calculation of the detection limit of the three signal modes reached as low as 0.0062 ng/mL, which is two orders of magnitude more sensitive than AuNPs-LFIA (0.1839 ng/mL). This study provides effective guidance for multifunctional modification of MOFs and serves as a reference for the application of MOF-based nanozymes in point-of-care biosensors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi found in corn and are anticipated to increase globally due to enhanced weather extremes and climate change. Aflatoxin (AFL) is of concern due to its harmful effects on human and animal health. AFL can move through complex grain supply chains in the United States, including multiple stakeholders from farms, grain elevators, grain and ethanol processors, and feed mills, before reaching end users, putting numerous entities at risk. Since corn is an essential food and feed product, risk management of AFL must be considered. This case study aimed to (1) calculate the probabilities of pivotal events with AFL in corn at Food Safety Modernization Act-regulated entities using an event tree analysis (ETA) and (2) propose recommendations based on factors identified through the ETA for AFL risk management. The ETA was based on historical AFL prevalence data in Iowa above a 20-part per billion (ppb) threshold (2.30%). Results showed four single-point failures in feed safety systems, where countermeasures did not function as designed. Failure is defined as the type 2 error of corn being infected with AFL <20 ppb, when it is >20 ppb, and the overall system fails to detect this with contaminated corn reaching end users. The success rate is defined as detecting the corn samples correctly >20 ppb. The average success rate was 50.14%, and the failure rate was 49.86%. It was concluded that risk-informed decisions are a critical component of effective AFL monitoring in corn, with timely intervention strategies needed to minimize the overall effects on end users., (© 2024 The Author(s). Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.)

Introduction: Aflatoxins, potent carcinogens produced by Aspergillus species, present significant health risks and commonly contaminate herbal products such as Chrysanthemum morifolium. Detecting these toxins in C. morifolium proves challenging due to the complex nature of the herbal matrix and the fluctuating levels of toxins found in different samples., Objectives: This study aimed to develop and optimize a novel method for the detection of aflatoxins in C. morifolium using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection based on quality by design principles., Methodology: The method involved determining critical method attributes and parameters through the Plackett-Burman design, followed by optimization using the Box-Behnken design. Monte Carlo simulation was employed to establish a design space, which was experimentally verified. Method validation was performed to confirm accuracy, precision, and stability., Results: The developed method exhibited excellent linearity (R 2  > 0.9991) for aflatoxins B 1 , B 2 , G 1 , and G 2 across a range of concentrations, with recovery rates between 85.52% and 102.01%. The validated method effectively quantified aflatoxins in C. morifolium under different storage conditions, highlighting the impact of temperature and storage time on aflatoxin production., Conclusion: This study successfully established a reliable and effective method for the detection of aflatoxins in C. morifolium, highlighting the importance of strict storage conditions to reduce aflatoxin contamination. Using a quality by design framework, the method demonstrated robustness and high analytical performance, making it suitable for routine quality control of herbal products., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The high specific surface area of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials endows them with efficient adsorption capabilities, thereby facilitating sample purification. In this study, a novel aluminum-based MOF (Al-MOF) was synthesized and employed as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent for the purification of aflatoxins B 1 (AFB 1 ), AFB 2 , AFG 1 , and AFG 2 in vegetable oils. It was revealed that Al-MOF adsorbs aflatoxins through hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions. Under optimal SPE conditions, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis yielded limits of detection ranging from 0.06 to 0.25 μg/kg and limits of quantification from 0.21 to 0.84 μg/kg for the four aflatoxins. Recovery rates at concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 μg/kg ranged from 74 % to 110 %, with coefficients of variation below 11 %. This method achieves efficient and cost-effective purification of aflatoxins in vegetable oils. Compared to national standard methods, this approach offers advantages such as lower material costs, ease of storage, and reusability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aflatoxins (AFTs) are highly carcinogenic and mainly contaminate cereals. In this study, we designed and screened a hapten by analyzing the same characteristic groups of AFTs (AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 and AFG 2 ), prepared a monoclonal antibody (mAb) 4C11 with a high sensitivity and specificity that can simultaneously detect all the main AFTs, and established a colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (CG-ICA) for the detection of AFTs in cereals. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.77 μg/kg, 1.40 μg/kg and 0.71 μg/kg for wheat, rice and maize, respectively, with linear ranges of 1.17-5.52 μg/kg, 1.84-5.20 μg/kg and 1.26-8.95 μg/kg, respectively. The spiked recoveries of AFTs samples ranged from 95.6 % to 104.2 %, and the positive samples further validated the reliability of the method. The results demonstrated that the method can be used for rapid, sensitive and efficient on-site detection of AFTs in cereals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An innovative core-shell covalent organic framework (COF), Fe 3 O 4 @COF (ETTBA-ND), was synthesized through a facile and energy-efficient method. This adsorbent facilitated magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of six AFs prior to LC-MS/MS analysis, achieving one-step purification and enrichment in food matrices. The successful synthesis of the adsorbent was confirmed using various techniques, with adsorption capacities ranging from 46.7 mg/g to 52.3 mg/g. The adsorbent exhibited exceptional adsorption performance in real samples, with recoveries ranging from 80.3 % to 105.6 %, and notable reusability for more than seven cycles. The adsorption mechanism was investigated by density-functional theory and attributed to synergetic effects involving electrostatic and π-π stacking interactions. HPLC-MS/MS quantification revealed strong linear relationships within the 0.01-100 μg/kg range (R 2  > 0.9983). The limits of detection ranged from 0.0016 μg/kg to 0.0099 μg/kg, indicating high sensitivity. The newly constructed COF adsorbents exhibit considerable potential for diverse applications in analytical fields that target various hazardous substances., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

This study demonstrates a new extraction method for determination of aflatoxins (AFs) in food samples by a GO-SiO 2 /ZnO/Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite as new and effective sorbent. The nanocomposite structure was confirmed by FT-IR, XRD, EDX, FE-SEM, TEM, and mapping techniques. Optimization of the extraction process was conducted by investigating pH, adsorbent amount, sample volume, and solvent volume using central composite design (CCD). The method showed good linearity for AFs B 1 , B 2 , G 1 , and G 2 within specified ranges. Detection and quantification limits were 0.06-0.53 and 0.20-1.62 ng mL -1 , respectively. The high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector assisted by solid phase extraction (SPE-HPLC-FLD) method was applied to food samples, achieving recoveries of 70.15-97.08 %. Accuracy was confirmed through recovery measurements in spiked samples, with ranges of 70.15-97.85 % in wheat, 70.01-91.97 % in chickpeas, and 71.29-93.92 % in white pepper. Reusability and cost-effectiveness suggest its potential for preconcentration and determination of AFs in food samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A total of 51 food samples (18 rice, 17 wheat flour, and 16 nuts) were randomly collected from different shops and analysed for the presence of total aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and fumonisins, using a lateral flow competitive immunochromatographic assay method. Mycological contamination (total aerobic and fungi count), colour index (L*a*b*) and moisture content were also evaluated. Sensory characteristics for mycotoxins contaminated and uncontaminated samples of rice and wheat flour were evaluated by 40 panellists. Forty-five per cent of all samples were positive for aflatoxins as the most occurred mycotoxins, with a range of 2–8.1 μg/kg. Fungal counts were not significantly different between contaminated and uncontaminated rice and wheat flour samples. In addition, panellists were able to discriminate between contaminated and uncontaminated rice samples by detection of mouldy flavour, spoilage symptoms, earthy flavour, and the degree of freshness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ), AFB 2 , AFG 1 , and AFG 2 are Group 1 human carcinogens, with AFB 1 notably increasing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk. Sichuan Province, China, with its subtropical monsoon climate, is susceptible to AF contamination in various food items. However, the HCC disease burden attributable to lifetime chronic dietary AF intake in Sichuan has not been investigated., Methods: The contamination data of AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 , AFG 2 , and AFM 1 across 20 food categories were analyzed from 2012 to 2023 in Sichuan. Along with the consumption data gathered from the 2011 China National Nutrition and Health Survey, the FDA-iRISK simulated the lifetime chronic dietary exposure patterns of ∑ 5 AF and estimated the associated HCC burden using disability-adjusted life year (DALY) as the metric., Results: As for the mean AF contamination level in food from Sichuan, the estimated lifetime average daily dose (LADD) of ∑ 5 AF intake was 9.77 ng/kg bw/day at minimum and 26.0 ng/kg bw/day at maximum, resulting in the lifetime HCC risks per person of 0.106% and 0.283%. The corresponding HCC burdens were 16.87 DALY/100,000 people/year and 44.95 DALY/100,000 people/year, respectively. In the same scenario, the LADD and the risk of HCC in males were higher than in females, but the PAF was higher in females. However, the high (P 95 ) AF contamination level in food caused 2-3 times higher LADD and HCC burden than the mean level of AF occurrence. Among the studied food categories, grains and their products were the primary dietary sources of dietary AF exposure., Conclusions: Sichuan population's lifetime exposure to ∑ 5 AF results in an HCC burden higher than the global level. It is recommended to continuously monitor and control AF contamination in Sichuan, particularly those highly vulnerable food categories, and the HCC disease burden should remain a concern in future research efforts.

Aflatoxins (AFs), produced by fungi, are highly hazardous and classified as mycotoxins. Controlling their levels is of significant concern. This group consists of 20 fungal metabolites, all structurally derived from difuranocoumarin. Exposure to AFs through food can cause critical health issues, such as cancers, deformities, and mutations, posing a significant global public health issue. The inherent dangers of AF exposure necessitate swift and reliable detection techniques to identify its presence in food products. The rise of nanotechnology has opened doors to innovative electrochemical biosensors, offering a promising solution to this pressing issue. This review delves into nanomaterial-based aptasensors, immunosensors, and molecularly imprinted polymers, the predominant electrochemical biosensors developed for AF detection. This paper offers a broad summary of recent advancements in biosensor technology in electrochemical sensing of AFs, alongside challenges to overcome limitations, and future perspectives., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Environmental pollution is a problem that affects food safety throughout the world. In this study, a health risk assessment of possible toxic metal and aflatoxin contamination in homemade and industrial noodles produced in Türkiye was carried out. Samples were taken from 67 kinds of homemade and five kinds of industrial noodles from different cities. Each sample was ground and prepared according to the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) protocol. Chronic daily metal intake (CDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and cancer risk (CR) calculations were made according to metal concentrations. Then, it was compared with the limit values of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Furthermore, AFB 1 analyses were performed on all samples the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Using the obtained data, health risk assessments were made in the samples of homemade and industrial noodles. Pb (lead), Hg (mercury), Cd (cadmium), As (arsenic), Cr (chromium), Ni (nickel), Cu (copper), Al (aluminum), and Fe (iron) concentrations analyzed in all samples were used in THQ and HI (non-cancer health risk) calculations, and THQ < 1 and HI < 1 were found. On the other hand, 81% of all the samples were found to have cancer risk in terms of Ni and 75% Cr. The AFB 1 findings (mean, 0.29 ppb) were below the Turkish Food Codex limit (2.00 ppb). Consequently, it is questionable that the noodle samples have cancer potential in general., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Aflatoxins are a group of high toxic mycotoxins in food chain. Recent studies showed that aflatoxins might contaminate post-fermented tea, but the result remains controversial. Here, Aspgergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production were characterized in Puerh tea, peanut and polished rice at different initial water activity (a w ) values for long-term storage. As a result, food initial a w value was the critical factor for A. flavus growth and aflatoxin production, and A. flavus almost not grew on foods at a w value lower than 0.8. A. flavus grew best in peanut, followed by rice, but growth on Puerh tea was limited. A. flavus growth was inhibited significantly by adding tea to Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Accordingly, aflatoxins produced dramatically in peanut, followed by rice at the first 90 days storage. However, aflatoxin neither produced in Puerh tea nor on tea modified PDA, indicating tea components inhibited A. flavus growth and aflatoxins synthesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the study in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we developed a colloidal gold immunochromatographic strip (CGIS) method that used the matrix-matched calibration curves of contamination ratio models to quantitatively determine the total aflatoxin in five herbal medicines. This approach addresses issues related to false results and poor accuracy associated with conventional methods. The CGIS was analyzed using a Vertu touch reader, and the matrix-matched calibration was established based on the absorbance ratios of the T and C lines, as well as the logarithmic values of the total aflatoxin concentrations. The total aflatoxins could be accurately and digitally detected from 2.5 to 40 μg/kg, and the LOD of total aflatoxins was 1 μg/kg in the five herbal medicines. The recovery rates from the spiked samples ranged from 65.1% to 98.6%, and the RSD was less than 16.9%. A total of 229 samples were analyzed by both CGIS and HPLC-FLD, with agreement ranging from 78.4% to 132.6% ( Arecae semen ), 82.6% to 133.0% ( Nelumbinis semen ), 79.9% to 117.9% ( Coicis semen ), 78.1% to 119.0% ( Platycladi semen ), and 76.1% to 123.0% ( Ziziphi spinosae semen ). This process for the discrimination of the CGIS results was established to assess if samples met the requirement of aflatoxin limits, which could save approximately 75% in time and reduce the workload of retesting by a designated confirmatory reference method to less than 10%. This study demonstrated that the application of matrix-matched calibration curves based on contamination ratio models to CGIS can effectively enhance the rapid quantitative determination capability of total aflatoxins in herbal medicine matrices.

Plant-based milks emerge as a healthy and vegan alternative for human diet, but these foodstuffs are susceptible to be contaminated by aflatoxins. A new method based on SPE and HPLC-MS/MS analysis was optimized and validated to test the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 analysis in almond, oat, rice and soy commercial milks. Moreover, aflatoxin bioaccessibility was evaluated through an in vitro digestion assay applied to each type of spiked milk. Aflatoxins B1, B2 and G1 were detected in one soy milk sample below the LOQ, fulfilling the limits stablished by the European Legislation. The final bioaccessibility percentages were highly dependent on the type of mycotoxin and sample matrix, the highest and the lowest values were obtained for AFB2 (82%-92%) and AFG1 (15%-30%), whereas AFB1 (28%-50%) and AFG2 (32%-76%) values resulted more influenced by the plant-based milk matrix., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In order to understand the status of aflatoxin contamination in dried chilli products in Gansu Province and the risk of dietary exposure, a total of 106 samples of dried chilli products from farmers' markets and supermarkets in 14 prefecture-cities of Gansu Province were collected and analysed by isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the detection rate of aflatoxin in dried chilli products in Gansu Province was 30.2%, and the average level was 1.57 μg/kg. The detection rates of dried chillies, paprika, and chilli powders were 16.7%, 43.6%, and 46.2%, respectively. The detection rates of aflatoxin in dried chilli products from shops and farmers' markets were 22.5% and 40.0%, respectively. The dietary exposure of AFB1 was 0.0001 μg/kg bw/day, and the MOE calculated from its average concentration was 305.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is an economically important tree nut. Due to its nutritional properties and health benefits, it is considered a healthy food and thus widely consumed worldwide. However, fungal contamination of the commodities has received considerable attention because of possible contamination by toxigenic fungi, important source of mycotoxins, resulting from secondary metabolism and hazards to health consumer. Members of the genus Aspergillus, mainly Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger, are reported as occurring most frequently on pistachio nuts, because able to grow in the presence of low amounts of water and to produce mycotoxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxins), that are well known for their harmful health effects on humans. Monitoring the contaminating fungal species is particularly worthy of note also in climate change scenario, allowing to notice changes in fungal population composition through the time. This study aimed to contribute to collect data about fungal population and mycotoxins occurred in pistachio samples collected in Turkey: prevalence of 2 species, A. flavus and Aspergillus tubingensis, was assessed. The A. flavus strains consisted of a mixed population of aflatoxin producers and non-producing strains in vitro, with evidence of a new genotype in gene cluster within strains of aflatoxin non-producing chemotype., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

A magnetic nanoadsorbent was prepared via a novel one-pot magnetization method by employing natural carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyaniline (PANI) nanotube, and graphene oxide (GO) for the effective adsorption of aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) and B2 (AFB2) from rice samples. This synthesized adsorbent combines the multifunction of CMC, PANI, and GO and shows improved extraction performance. FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, VSM, and TGA analyses were used to investigate the successful synthesis of the nanocomposite. The adsorption mechanism was ascribed to π-π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions. Under optimized conditions, the method achieved extraction recoveries ranging from 78 % to 89 %. Low limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were obtained in the ranges of 0.07 and 0.01 ng g -1 , and 0.20 and 0.04 ng g -1 for AFB1 and B2, respectively. This method showed an acceptable precision with intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 15 %. Comparative studies with other adsorbents used in extraction methods such as solid phase extraction (SPE), magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction (MDSPE), and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) demonstrated that the proposed method outperforms the existing procedures; it is promising in efficient AFs monitoring in rice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study presents data on the occurrence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in maize and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk and dairy products from Serbia in 2022. A total of 100 maize samples were analysed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, while 107 cow and goat milk, besides dairy products were tested with an ELISA method. Aflatoxins contaminated 78% of the maize samples, with aflatoxin B1 as the most prevalent aflatoxin, also at the highest determined level. All milk samples tested positive for AFM1, while contamination in dairy products ranged from 14% to 100%. The hot and dry weather during the 2022 maize growing season, characterised by moderate to extreme drought conditions, significantly increased maize contamination with aflatoxins, impacting subsequent milk and dairy products contamination. The findings of this study confirm the continuous trend and persistent challenge in Serbia concerning the prevalence of aflatoxins in maize and milk, closely linked to climate change.

Aflatoxins constitute a significant risk in staple foods produced in African countries. This research aimed to analyze the total aflatoxin (AFT) contamination of various staple foods in Angola and Mozambique. A total of 233 samples of corn, peanuts, beans, rice, and cassava flour collected from farmers or local markets from the province of Cuanza Sul, Angola, and the provinces of Gaza and Inhambane, South Mozambique, were analyzed for the presence of AFT using the lateral flow strip method via AgraStrip ® Pro WATEX ® (Romer). The results showed that, from all matrices, the highest incidence and level of AFT were found in corn produced in Mozambique, with medians ranging from 6.5 to 66.5 µg/kg, with the samples showing values as high as 9200 µg/kg. Levels higher than the maximum admissible levels recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for cereals and pulses (15 µg/kg) were observed in up to 90% of the corn samples, depending on the province. Corn produced in Angola showed lower amounts of AFT, with medians ranging from 1.2 to 7.7 µg/kg. Considering the maximum admissible levels for AFT recommended by the European Commission and the Codex Alimentarius Commission for cereals and pulses, the level of AFT contamination in staple food produced and consumed in the studied provinces is high and constitutes a public health risk for the population. Therefore, risk mitigation strategies are urgently needed.

Aflatoxins are naturally produced toxins by specific molds, namely Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. These toxins can be found in various agricultural products, including crops like maize, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. They have the potential to contaminate the food supply during different stages of production, processing, and storage. Aflatoxin is a very poisonous substance that has been linked to adverse health effects in both humans and animals. It is essential to detect and monitor aflatoxins to ensure the safety of food. Efficient and precise analytical techniques, such as chromatography and immunoassays, have been used to accurately measure the levels of aflatoxins in different substances. Regulatory bodies and worldwide associations have determined maximum permissible limits for aflatoxins in food and nourishment products to protect the well-being of the general public. Effectively addressing aflatoxin contamination necessitates a comprehensive approach that encompasses various strategies in agriculture, post-harvest practices, and regulatory measures. Continuous research and collaborative endeavors are crucial in order to minimize aflatoxin exposure and mitigate the associated risks. This review offers a comprehensive examination of the presence, health consequences, and elimination techniques associated with aflatoxins., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ginger, a fresh rhizome, an economically important spice with extensive nutraceutical activities finds itself in vegetable and therapeutic market. Aflatoxins (AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 and AFG 2 ) along with ochratoxin A (OTA) are the most significant and the most toxic form of mycotoxins which are produced by various fungi. This study was initiated to assess the contamination of AFs and OTA in raw and dried ginger products, collected from different agro-climatic zones in Punjab, Pakistan employing the high performance liquid chromatography. We found all (raw ginger samples commercial ginger powders) samples contaminated with AFB 1 (range: 29.88-1060.12 μg/kg). AFB 2 contamination was much lower (range: 0-17.54 μg/kg). Variable contamination of AFG 1 was also observed (range: 0-170.58 μg/kg) whereas AFG 2 contamination was found in only three (range: 0-21.88 μg/kg) out of 19 raw ginger samples. OTA contamination ranged from 0.05 to 3.42 μg/kg. Ginger samples from lower altitudes (<1000 m) were more contaminated with AFB 1 sub type mycotoxin. Keeping in view that the toxicity of AFs is in the order of B 1 >G 1 > B 2 >G 2 , it was alarming to find that 100% of the samples were contaminated with AFB 1 way beyond the permissible limits. Our very first report about the contamination of ginger with AFs presents a grave health issue because of wide use of ginger. We conclude that ginger production in Pakistan needs to be carefully crafted and due diligence is needed during ginger cultivation, harvest and post-harvest operations because the amount of aflatoxins detected in this study are very much above the permissible limits. In this regard, ginger storage in cooler environments such as refrigerator should be encouraged to contain the AFs proliferation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A magnetic adsorbent was synthesized by coupling magnetic nanoparticles, UiO-66-NH 2 and 1-butyl-trimethylimidazole bromide ([BMIM][Br]) to chitosan (CS)-based composite conveniently. A series of modern characterizations were employed to assess its properties. The results showed that UiO-66-NH 2 was uniformly distributed within the composite via in-situ growth, which can enhance the porosity obviously. The introduction of various ligands enables the composite to exhibit excellent extraction performance for four aflatoxins (AFs) through multiple interactions. The adsorption mechanism was elucidated and the main factors affecting extraction efficiency were evaluated. Under optimal conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.08 to 0.56 μg/kg. The established method was successfully utilized to determine AFs from cereal samples (rice, glutinous rice, wheat, soybean, paddy, and corn) with satisfactory recovery of 77% ∼ 119% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.0% ∼ 11.7% (n = 5). The adsorbent demonstrated sufficient robustness for repeated use at least six times without obvious damage of extraction property., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel approach for the simultaneous separation of zearalenone (ZEN) and four types of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2) from rice samples was presented. This approach utilized modified MIL-101(Cr)-NH2 as core, with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) serving as the shell. The MIL-101(Cr)-NH2 was prepared via ring-opening reaction, while the imprinted polymers were synthesized using warfarin and 4-methylumbelliferyl acetate as co-pseudo template, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The resulting co-pseudo-template-MIPs (CPT-MIPs) were thoroughly characterized and evaluated. Adsorption studies demonstrate that the adsorption process of CPT-MIPs follows a chemical monolayer adsorption mechanism, with imprinted factors ranging from 1.24 to 1.52 and selective factors ranging from 1.29 to 1.52. Self-made columns were prepared, and the method for separation was developed and validated. The limit of detections ranged from 0.12 to 2.09 μg/kg, and the limit of qualifications ranged from 1.2 to 6.25 μg/kg. To assess the reliability of the method, ZEN and AFs were spiked at three different levels, and the recoveries ranged from 79.53 to 94.58%, with relative standard deviations of 2.90-5.78%., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Globally, maize (Zea mays L.) is deemed an important cereal that serves as a staple food and feed for humans and animals, respectively. Across the East African Community, maize is the staple food responsible for providing over one-third of calories in diets. Ideally, stored maize functions as man-made grain ecosystems, with nutritive quality changes influenced predominantly by chemical, biological, and physical factors. Food spoilage and fungal contamination are convergent reasons that contribute to the exacerbation of mycotoxins prevalence, particularly when storage conditions have deteriorated. In Kenya, aflatoxins are known to be endemic with the 2004 acute aflatoxicosis outbreak being described as one of the most ravaging epidemics in the history of human mycotoxin poisoning. In Tanzania, the worst aflatoxin outbreak occurred in 2016 with case fatalities reaching 50%. Similar cases of aflatoxicoses have also been reported in Uganda, scenarios that depict the severity of mycotoxin contamination across this region. Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan seemingly have minimal occurrences and fatalities of aflatoxicoses and aflatoxin contamination. Low diet diversity tends to aggravate human exposure to aflatoxins since maize, as a dietetic staple, is highly aflatoxin-prone. In light of this, it becomes imperative to formulate and develop workable control frameworks that can be embraced in minimizing aflatoxin contamination throughout the food chain. This review evaluates the scope and magnitude of aflatoxin contamination in post-harvest maize and climate susceptibility within an East African Community context. The paper also treats the potential green control strategies against Aspergillus spoilage including biocontrol-prophylactic handling for better and durable maize production., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

UPLC-MS/MS analytical conditions for the analysis of aflatoxins in spices were optimized and validated in this study. Liquid-liquid partition-based protocols for the cleaning up of extracts using common organic solvents such as acetonitrile, hexane, and ethyl acetate were developed and validated. The developed liquid-liquid partition methods were compared with immuno-affinity column and QuEChERS clean-up methods for the UPLC-MS/MS analysis of aflatoxins in 8 spices. The reduction of lipophilic components using the partition with hexane is particularly useful in spices like red pepper that have higher levels of fatty acids, carotenoids, sterols, triterpenoids, etc. The subsequent partitioning with ethyl acetate considerably reduced the matrix interference from the polar components and increased the sensitivity. The cleaning up of spice extracts using liquid-liquid partition techniques resulted in limits of quantification (LOQ) of 2-5 µgL -1 in UPLC-MS/MS analysis. Trueness, repeatability, and reproducibility of the methods were in acceptable ranges. The accuracy of the developed methods was further verified by analyzing aflatoxins in naturally incurred samples of spices and comparing the results with those obtained from the immuno-affinity column cleanup-HPLC-FD method., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Mycotoxin (Research Gesellschaft für Mykotoxinforschung e.V.) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Carrot ( Daucus carota L.) is a nutrient-rich vegetable that is widely cultivated and consumed in Pakistan in both raw and processed form. Data on the proximate composition and natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) in carrots and marketed carrot products is lacking in Pakistan and the risk exposure of AF has not been characterised before. Thus, the current study was designed to know the frequently consumed carrot products with per capita consumption, and risk assessment of AF through these products in various regions of South Punjab Pakistan. A survey was conducted with 125 respondents and appeared that raw carrot, fresh carrot juice, gajrella and pickle are the most frequently consumed marketed carrot products with per capita consumption i.e. 62.5, 46.6, 16.2 and 14.5 gday-1, respectively. Proximate analysis revealed that carrot root and processed carrot products contained 9.65-98.2% moisture, 0.23-0.60% ash, 6.2-14.1% carbohydrates, 0.31-0.80% protein, 0.40-3.7% fat and 1.4-4.20% fibre. AF analysis revealed that 36.67% of samples were contaminated with TAF. Thirty-five (35%) percent of samples were tainted with aflatoxin B 1 , and 13.33% of samples were contaminated with aflatoxin B 2 . All the samples of carrot root, fresh carrot juice and gajrella contained TAF levels less than the maximum limit (ML) (2 ppb) assigned by the European Union (EU). However, the entire AFB1 positive samples of carrot pickle contained AFB 1 levels of more than 2 ppb exceeding the ML. Furthermore, daily dietary exposure of TAFs ranged from 0.11 to 1.27 ng/kg of body weight per day which relatively exceeds the permissible limit of 1 ng/kg of body weight per day as defined by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. This is the first prevalence and risk assessment report of AF in marketed processed carrot products in Pakistan. These baseline data are an initial step in the effort to deal with this significant food safety issue and the establishment of legislation for AF in marketed products is needed in Pakistan.

Background: Aflatoxins (AFs) are toxic metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. Because AFs are potent carcinogens in humans and animals, many countries have set regulatory limits for AFs in foods to prevent dietary exposure. From a global food safety perspective, in 2023, the Codex Alimentarius Commission established the maximum level (ML) of total AFs in certain cereals and cereal-based products, including polished rice. Therefore, validated analytical methods for AFs detection are necessary., Objective: In this study, an HPLC-fluorescence method coupled with multifunctional column cleanup and trifluoroacetic acid derivatization was developed for the determination of AF levels in polished rice., Methods: Our method was validated in a single-laboratory study using AF-spiked materials, followed by an inter-laboratory validation study. Twelve laboratories participated in the inter-laboratory validation study, and five polished rice test samples artificially contaminated with AFs were analyzed., Results: In a single-laboratory study, the ranges of mean recoveries of AF B1, B2, G1, G2, and total AFs were 101, 100-103, 93-96, 95-98, and 97-99%, respectively. The RSDs for within-day and between-day variations were all ≤4.4%. In the inter-laboratory validation study, the RSDs for repeatability and reproducibility were from 0.7 to 2.7% and 3.3 to 8.9% for all analytes, respectively., Conclusion: In response to the Codex ML and method performance criteria for AFs in polished rice, an analytical method based on HPLC-fluorescence detection was developed. All method performance parameters estimated from the test results of the single-laboratory and inter-laboratory validation studies met the criteria required by the Codex., Highlights: Single- and inter-laboratory studies for the validation of an analytical method for AF level determination in polished rice were successfully performed. This analytical method will be suitable to determine AF levels around the Codex ML set for polished rice., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The study aimed to develop a rapid and sensitive colorimetric platform based on the Emerson reaction to visualize and determine total aflatoxins (AFs) in peanut oil. This method offers the advantage of fast screening for AFs (AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 , and AFG 2 ), eliminating the need for specific antibodies. The proposed approach combined colorimetric detection with magnetic dummy imprinted solid-phase extraction and purification, enhancing sensitivity and selectivity. The oxidizer aided the colorless AFs in reacting with 4-aminoantipyrine, producing green condensates. Thus, a dual-mode approach was developed for AFs detection, employing both UV-vis colorimetric and smartphone-based colorimetry. Both methods showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of AFs. Notably, the smartphone-based method demonstrated a detection range of 0.5-57 μg/kg, with a detection limit as low as 0.21 μg/kg. The suggested colorimetric methods present a promising potential for onsite detection and fast screening of AFs in actual samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The oils obtained from the seeds of Nigella sativa , also named black cumin, are rich in bioactive compounds that strengthen immunity and support human health. This study aimed to compare Nigella sativa oils pressed from Egyptian (Eg-NSSO), Ethiopian (Et-NSSO), and Syrian (Sy-NSSO) seeds., Methods: The analyzed oils were obtained from a local company. The content of phenolic compounds, tocochromanols, phytosterols, volatile compounds, triglycerides, and fatty acids composition was determined using chromatographic methods. The oxidative stability was determined by Rancimat technique as well as the determination of DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity. As an assessment of bioactivity, the antimicrobial and anti-aflatoxigenic properties of oils were evaluated., Results: Ethiopian oil had highest content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, phytosterols, and tocochromanols and was characterized by the longest induction period (IP = 7.89 h). The share of thymoquinone was the highest in Ethiopian oil (34.84%), followed by Egyptian (27.36%), then Syrian (22.59%). Ethiopian oil recorded a high antibacterial activity, while Egyptian oil showed a unique antifungal activity against toxigenic fungi. Aflatoxins' secretion into liquid medium containing NSSO was reduced, especially with Egyptian oil.

In this study, a multi-scale attention transformer (MSAT) was coupled with hyperspectral imaging for classifying peanut kernels contaminated with diverse Aspergillus flavus fungi. The results underscored that the MSAT significantly outperformed classic deep learning models, due to its sophisticated multi-scale attention mechanism which enhanced its classification capabilities. The multi-scale attention mechanism was utilized by employing several multi-head attention layers to focus on both fine-scale and broad-scale features. It also integrated a series of scale processing layers to capture features at different resolutions and incorporated a self-attention mechanism to integrate information across different levels. The MSAT model achieved outstanding performance in different classification tasks, particularly in distinguishing healthy peanut kernels from those contaminated with aflatoxigenic fungi, with test accuracy achieving 98.42±0.22%. However, it faced challenges in differentiating peanut kernels contaminated with aflatoxigenic fungi from those with non-aflatoxigenic contamination. Visualization of attention weights explicitly revealed that the MSAT model's multi-scale attention mechanism progressively refined its focus from broad spatial-spectral features to more specialized signatures. Overall, the MSAT model's advanced processing capabilities marked a notable advancement in the field of food quality safety, offering a robust and reliable tool for the rapid and accurate detection of Aspergillus flavus contaminations in food., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)