European Mycotoxins Awareness Network

Lots of Information here:
link: http://www.mycotoxins.org/

Mycotoxin Fact Sheets (Basic And Expert) Covering:

• introduction to mycotoxins
• information on all mycotoxins (Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins, Deoxynivalenol, Fumonisins, Patulin, Zearalenone, Trichothecenes, Citrinin, Cyclopiazonic Acid , Moniliformin, Sterigmatocystin, Alternaria, Ergot Alkaloids)
• Analytical Methods (Ochratoxins, Patulin, Trichothecenes, Fumonisins, Zearalenone, Beauvericin and Moniliformin, Aflatoxin, Clean-up, Extraction, TLC, HPLC, GC, LCMS

Factors influencing production of mycotoxin in food, Range of regulatory limits for mycotoxins and max acceptable level of aflatoxin BY WHO

Factors influencing the production of mycotoxins in food:
Maximum acceptable levels of aflatoxin:

Range of regulatory limits for mycotoxins

Reference: WHO. Chapter 2: Foodborne Harzards. Available at: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/capacity/en/2.pdf

FOOD REGULATIONS - AVA

Under
Incidental Constituents in Food,
Mycotoxins
34. No article of food shall contain any detectable amount of aflatoxins or any other mycotoxins

TOXINS: CORN FLOUR

Aflatoxin

• produced by fungus: Aspergillus flavus [4]
• Types: B1, B2, G1, G2 (M1, M2 metabolites) [1]
• Maximum allowable residue in food: 20ppb (FDA)
• Tolerable Daily Intakes (TDIs): 0.1μg/kg for aflatoxin B1 [3]
• WHO regulatory limits: 0 μg/ kg [6]
• Quantification: HPLC [3]
• LOQ (mg/kg): 0.2 – 2.2 [3]
• Symptoms/toxicology: liver necrosis, liver tumors, reduced growth, depressed immune response, carcinogen[4]

Fumonisin

• produced by fungus: Fusarium moniliforme[4]
• Types: B1, B2, B3[1]
• <4>TDIs: 2 μg/kg bw/day [3]
• Quantification: HPLC [3]
• LOQ (mg/kg): 2.3 – 50[3]
• Symptoms/toxicology: equine leukoencephalomalacia, porcine pulmonary edema [4]

Trichothecenes

• produced by fungus: fusarium [1]
• Types: deoxynivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, diacetylnivalenol, fusarenon X, neosolaniol, nivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin [1]
• <5>TDIs: 1 μg/kg body weight/day for deoxynivalenol [3]
• WHO regulatory limits: 1000-4000 μg/ kg [6]
• Deoxynivalenol Quantification: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry[3]
• Deoxynivalenol LOQ (mg/kg):50 [3]
• Symptoms/toxicology: alimentary toxic aleukia, necrosis, hemorrhages, oral lesion in broiler chickens [4]
• Symptoms/ toxicology(DON): feed refusal, reduced weight gain, diarrhea, vomiting [4]

Zearalenone

• produced by fungus: fusarium[1]
• TDIs: 0.2 μg/kg bw/day[3]
• WHO regulatory limits: 30 - 1000 μg/ kg [6]
• Quantification: HPLC [3]
• LOQ (mg/kg):10 [3]

LOQ = Limit of Quantification: Used to decide whether the concentration of an analyte can
be reliably determined. [2]

Summary of analytical methodology done in a Survey of maize-based retail products for mycotoxins [3]

[1] http://www.corn.org/mycotoxins.pdf

[2] Michael E. , Robert D. , William C. (1999). Evaluation of Approximate Methods for Calculating the Limit of Detection and Limit of Quantification. Available at: https://www.uwgb.edu/zornm/1999-01%20Environ.%20Sci.%20Technol.%2033,%202291-2295.pdf

[3] FSIS. (2005). Survey of maize-based retail products for mycotoxins. Available at: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis7205.pdf

[4] Steve Koenning, Gary Payne. (Nov 2000). Mycotoxins in Corn. Available at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/Corn/corn001.htm

[5] FDA Regulatory Guidance for Toxinsand Contaminants Available at: http://www.ngfa.org/toxinsPDF-1.pdf

[6] WHO. Chapter 2: Foodborne Harzards. Available at: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/capacity/en/2.pdf

TOXIN TEST KITS

Aflatoxin: EZ Screen / EZ-QUANT / Afla-Cup Aflatoxin Screening / Aflatest (AOAC Official Method 991.31; USDA-FGIS) / Veratox AST (USDA-FGIS) / Romer Minicolumn (AOAC Official Method 975.36)
black light / FlorometricIodine rapid screenings / Minicolumn / Thin-layer chromatography (TLC)

Aflatoxin B : AflaB

Aflatoxin B1: Single Step Cup

Aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, G2): FluoroQuant Afla (USDA; FGIS) / Aflacup (AOAC Official Method 993.16 USDA; FGIS)
High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) / Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Enterotoxins (Staphylococcal): Tecra SET VIA (AOAC Official Method 993.06; NZDB)

Fumonisin: Fumonisin One-Step ELISA / ID BLOCK Fumonisin Screening / RIDASCREEN Fumonisin Fast / FumoniTest
High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) / Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay


Trichothecenes (Deoxynivalenon): DON FluoroQuant (USDA; FGIS) / AccuTox DON Quantitative (USDA; FGIS) / Veratox for Vomitoxin / DONtest TAG Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) / Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assa

Zearalenone: One-Step ELISA / ID BLOCK Zearalenone Screening / ZearalaTest
Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) / Gas-liquid chromatography/ Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Reference:
AOAC INTERNATIONAL. (2001). Toxin Test Kits. Available at: http://www.aoac.org/testkits/TKDATA5.HTM [Date accessed: 6 July 2008]

Toxins Mycotoxins

Toxin is a poisonous substance, especially protein, produced by living organisms which can cause disease when introduced into body tissues but is often also capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies or antitoxins. [1]


Clostridium Botulinum: Botulinum toxin
Bacillus cereus: Emetic toxins
Escherichia coli: Shigatoxin (Stx1 and Stx2)
Clostridium Perfringens & Staphylococcus Aureus: Enterotoxin

Mycotoxins aka fungal toxin -> toxin produced by fungus
Common fungal genera: Aspergillus, Fusarium -> toxins produced, Alfatoxins and Deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin), Fumonisins, Zearalenone respectively

Definition: TOXIN

One of a number of poisons produced by certain plants, animals, and bacteria.

The term "toxin" is frequently used to refer specifically to a particular protein produced by some higher plants, animals and pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria. A toxin typically has a high molecular weight (as compared to a simple chemical poison), is antigenic (elicits an antibody response), and is highly poisonous to living creatures.

The word "toxin" comes from the Greek "toxikon" = arrow poison and was introduced to medicine in 1888 by the Berlin physician Ludwig Brieger (1849-1909) as a name for poisons made by infectious agents.

Cited: Definition of toxin. (2002). Medicinenet.com. Retrieved June 29, 2008, from website: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5828

any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of tetanus, diphtheria, etc., and such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.

Cited: toxin. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved June 29, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/toxin