Cereals products, contamination

Strategies to reduce mycotoxin and fungal alkaloid contamination in organic and conventional cereal production systems... 

Within the Codex system, the contaminants considered in this section are mainly dealt with by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which is hosted by the Netherlands. Many of the Member States of the European Union are very active in CCFAC. For example, Denmark and the Netherlands have been instrumental in developing the Codex General Standard on Contaminants and Toxins and draft limits for lead in various foods. Sweden has developed a proposal for a limit for ochratoxin A in cereals and cereal products and France has proposed a maximum level for patulin in apple juice. 

Eugster (2003, 2004) reported applications of the method for the detection of contaminations of animal origin in vegetable samples. The analysis of food control samples of cereal flours, cereal dust, and cereal products resulted in several findings of animal contamination by small rodents and insects. In vegetable feedstuffs with the... 

Eugster A (2003). [Contaminations of animal origin in cereals and cereal products 1. Problem and contribution to animal species differentiation by PCR]. Mitt Lehensmittelunters., Hyg. 95 99-109. 

The European Commission submitted a report oomplling 5117 (aggregated) analytloal results for oohratoxin A In cereals and cereal products, ccllected by EU Member States (European Commission, 2002). The total number of positive samples for oereals and oereal products was 55%, and they ranged In concentration from the LCD (0.005 pg/kg) to 33.3 pg/kg. The weighted mean (assuming that the samples In whloh oohratoxin A was not detected [ND] are contaminated at half of the LCD) was 0.29 pg/kg. 

Based on the submission of more than 11 000 samples of cereals and cereal products (individual + aggregated), only 87 of them (0.8%) are contaminated with ochratoxin A at concentrations between 5 and 20 pg/kg, and only 21 samples are contaminated above 20 pg/kg (0.2%) therefore, the theoretical difference between the two MLs of 5 and 20 pg/kg would represent about 0.6% of cereals. 

Gottschalk, C, Barthel, J., EngeUiardt, G., Bauer, J., Meyer, K. (2009). Simultaneous determination of typ>e A, B and D tiichothecenes and their occurence in cereals and cereal products. Food Additives and Contaminants, Vol. 26, No. 9, (September 2009), 1273-1289, ISSN 0265-203X. 

Table 9.4 shows that in the case of deoxyni-valenol, the utilization of the reference value is relatively high at 34.1-82.5%. The upper value was calculated for 4—6 year old children and the lower value for women (fish eaters). Cereal products are mainly contaminated with deoxynivalenol. Ochratoxin A is also most Irequently taken in hy children. In addition to cereal products, especially fruit juices play a role as a source of this substance. 

Vitamin Bjj is not absorbed very well, so relatively large amounts need to be supplied through the diet The daily intake is estimated at 3-31 p,g and about 20 70% is absorbed. The amount of vitamin Bj2 actually needed by the body of an adult is very small, probably only about 2-3 p-g/day (the estimated average requirement is 2 p,g/day, recommended dietary allowance is 2.4 p,g/day), while pregnant and lactating women need 4 p,g/day. The need is met mainly by meat, meat products and offal (about 70% the richest dietary sources are the liver and kidney), followed by milk and dairy products (about 20%), eggs (about 9%) and cereal products (about 2%). Vegetables and fruits are very poor sources as they contain vitamin Bj2 only if contaminated by faecal bacteria. 

Concentrations of ochratoxin Ain cereals rarely exceed 50 Hg/kg, but improper storage may cause a massive increase in contamination. In addition to cereals and cereal products, ochratoxin A... 

Mycotoxias fiad thek way kito the human diet by way of mold-contaminated cereal and legume crops, meat, and milk products. Com and peanuts probably represent the most common sources of mycotoxias ki the human diet. Many mycotoxias are acutely toxic as well as being poteat carckiogeas (86). 

Bio-transfer module Calculation of the transfer of contaminants to vegetable products (vegetables, cereals, animal feed) and animal products (meat, milk dairy products, poultry, eggs). 

Although there is no close correlation of crop infection and mycotoxin production, all efforts to reduce mycotoxin contamination of cereal grains start with agronomic factors that can be controlled to minimize crop infection. 

D Mello J P F (2003), Mycotoxins in cereal grains, nuts and other plant products , Food Safety Contaminants and Toxins, CAB International, Wallingford, 65-90. 

In spite of the fact that contamination of cereals and grains and related products with mycotoxins causes food and feed-bome intoxications in man and livestock, zearalenone in low concentrations can be treated as a plant hormone which influences the development and yield of crop plants (Biesaga-Koscielniak 2001). This review focuses on the effect of low doses of zearalenone on the stimulation of selected physiological processes in plants important for agriculture production. 

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