During ripening, the surface of dry traditional meat products (TMPs) becomes overgrown by fungi of the Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and Eurotium spp. whose spores mostly come from the ...environment in which the ripening chambers are placed. Certain fungi species is often responsible for the occurrence of toxic compounds termed the mycotoxins, among which of the outermost importance in connection with meat products are aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA). Besides, some other mycotoxins such as citrinin (CIT), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) and sterigmatocystin (STC) can also be present, but their impact on the quality and safety of meat products, and therefore also on human health, has still not been fully clarified. As control and prevention of toxicogenic fungi growth are key factors to the prevention of mycotoxin presence in dry-cured TMPs, levels of mycotoxin contamination, mycotoxin-producing mould species and factors of relevance for mycotoxin production, such as climate, should be determined.
The aim of this research is to use isolated and characterized autochthonous functional starter cultures from traditional Croatian dry sausages and to evaluate their capacity for industrial production ...of five sausages (Cajna sausage, Zimska sausage, Becka sausage, Srijemska sausage and Slavonski kulen). These defined autochthonous functional starter cultures (combination of Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus strains) were used to produce five different industrial sausages which were compared by a panel. The viability of introduced autochthonous Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus strains and their effect on the final product characteristics, namely microbiological, physicochemical and sensory properties were monitored. The obtained results indicate that autochthonous starter cultures survived industrial production of sausages and can be used for production of sausages under controlled conditions. Autochthonous starter cultures obtained better results in the organoleptic evaluation, microbial safety and prolonged shelf-life in comparison with commercial starter cultures.
Cheese is a highly valued dairy product worldwide, with a special focus on traditional cheeses, not only for their basic nutritive purposes but also as a part of the culture and characteristics of a ...certain country. Owing to the geographical location as well as the climate and vegetation diversity, in certain regions of Croatia the production of various traditional cheeses using spices was developed. Spices are either added to the cheese curd which is then formed, or cheese is wrapped into plant leaves. Sometimes spices are also applied onto the surface of the cheese, and only in rare cases spices are added into the curd. Spices added to cheese improve sensory characteristics, increase the stability and shelf life but also increase the nutritional value. The chemical composition of spices is very complex and every spice has a specific and dominant ingredient that contributes to the flavour of the product and/or its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. This paper provides an overview of spices and aromatic herbs as natural preservatives that are used in the production of traditional cheeses.
Fungicides are the most common agents used in postharvest treatment of fruit and are the most effective against blue mould, primarily caused by Penicillium expansum. Alternatively, blue mould can be ...treated with antagonistic microorganisms naturally occurring on fruit, such as the bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans. The aim of this study was to establish the antifungal potential of the G. oxydans 1J strain isolated from apple surface against Penicillium expansum in culture and apple juice and to compare it with the efficiency of a reference strain G. oxydans ATCC 621H. The highest antifungal activity of G. oxydans 1J was observed between days 3 and 9 with no colony growth, while on day 12, P. expansum colony diameter was reduced to 42.3 % of the control diameter. Although G. oxydans 1J did not fully inhibit mould growth, it showed a high level of efficiency and completely prevented patulin accumulation in apple juice.
Tretiranje voća fungicidima, nakon berbe, uobičajeni je način suzbijanja plave plijesni. Međutim, propadanje voća može se spriječiti i upotrebom antagonističkih mikroorganizama, kao što je bakterija Gluconobacter oxydans. Svrha ovoga rada bila je izolirati prirodnu mikrobnu populaciju s površine jabuka i istražiti moguće inhibitorno djelovanje Gluconobacter oxydans 1J na plavu plijesan, Penicillium expansum, najvažnijeg uzročnika kvarenja jabuka u skladištu. Najveća antifungalna aktivnost bakterije primijećena je između 3. i 9. dana, kada nije zabilježen porast kolonija, a nakon 12. dana promjer kolonije plijesni bio je manji za 42,3 %. Iako istraživana bakterija Gluconobacter oxydans 1J nije u potpunosti inhibirala rast plijesni u jabučnom soku pokazala je visoku razinu učinkovitosti (od 86 % do 95 %). Gluconobacter oxydans 1J djelomično inhibira rast plijesni i u potpunosti biosintezu patulina, ovisno o vremenu i uvjetima uzgoja.
Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) are a new generation of green solvents. They are mixtures of two or three compounds such as choline chloride as a cationic salt and alcohols, acids, amides, ...amines or sugars as hydrogen-bond donors. Although the majority of NADES’ components are of natural origin and therefore NADES are often presumed to be non-toxic, the evaluation of their toxicity and biodegradability must accompany the research on their synthesis and application. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the effect of ten synthesised NADES towards bacteria (i.e.,
Escherichia coli
,
Proteus mirabilis
,
Salmonella typhimurium
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Staphylococcus aureus
), yeast (i.e.,
Candida albicans
) and human cell lines (i.e., HeLa, MCF-7 and HEK293T). In addition, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method was used to determine the antioxidative activity of the tested NADES. Differences in toxicity response between microorganisms and cell lines were observed, and only NADES that contained organic acid showed toxicity towards the test systems. Furthermore, the NADES containing compounds that possess antioxidative activity also showed antioxidative activity. However, research whose primary purpose is the synthesis and application of NADES must be followed by an evaluation of their biological properties (e.g., antimicrobial activity, toxicity towards animal cells and antioxidative or other biological activity) to find the solvent with the best profile for wider industrial applications.
Xerophilic species of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Eurotium genera from surfaces of dry-cured traditional meat products (TMPs) can cause mycotoxin contamination during uncontrolled household ...processing. The aim of this study was to investigate into surface moulds growing on Croatian prosciuttos and fermented sausages produced in different climate regions using different technologies (n = 160), and to relate the occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) to their presence. The results revealed the Penicillium (79%) to be the dominating contaminating mould, while Aspergillus (11%), Eurotium (7%) and Mucor (4%) species were present in a significantly lower number of isolates, with higher prevalence and greater diversity in prosciuttos than in sausages, relative of the production technology and regional climate. OTA contamination (14% of samples) was significantly more frequent than that with AFB1 (8% of samples), with OTA concentration rising to the maximal 6.86 μg/kg, whereas AFB1 concentrations were slightly higher than, or around, the limit of quantification of the method in use, with the maximal value of 1.92 μg/kg. The presence of AFB1 in absence of toxicogenic moulds, observed in some samples, can be attributed to contaminated spices used in TMP production or an indirect contamination via a carry-over effect.
•Higher percentages of mould isolates were found in prosciuttos than in sausages;•Penicillium represents the dominant contaminating mould genus;•Production technology and climatic conditions affect mould overgrowth;•AFB1 concentrations were lower than, or around, the LOD of the method in use;•Significantly higher levels of OTA were determined.
When domestic animals are exposed to mycotoxins, significant amounts of the latter shall be carried over into animal products such as milk, eggs and meat. This study was carried out in order to ...determine the possible presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) in game sausages (n = 15), semi-dry sausages (n = 25) and fermented dry-meat products (n = 50), randomly taken from individual producers and the Croatian market. AFB1 and OTA were quantified using ELISA, while CIT was quantified using HPLC-fluorescence detector. Out of 90 samples, the fungi most frequently isolated from dry-cured meat products were of Penicillium species, while Aspergillus was isolated from only one sample. As much as 68.88% of the samples were positive for mycotoxins. Finally, the analysis of different types of meat products resulted in OTA identification in 64.44%, CIT identification in 4.44% and AFB1 identification in 10% of the samples. The maximum OTA concentrations established in the commercial sausage samples equalled to 7.83 μg/kg, while that of AFB1 amounted to 3.0 μg/kg. Generally, although OTA was detected in all three types of products in different percentage shares, mutual differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
•Game and semi-dry sausages and fermented dry-meat products were analysed for mould and mycotoxin contamination.•The isolated fungi were of Aspergillus and Penicillium genera.•All of the analysed meat products were predominantly OTA-contaminated.•Some of the samples were co-contaminated with AFB1, OTA and CIT.
Urine Ochratoxin A and Sphinganine/Sphingosine Ratio in Residents of the Endemic Nephropathy Area in Croatia Domijan, Ana-Marija (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia); Peraica, Maja (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia); Markov, Ksenija (Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia) ...
Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju,
12/2009, Volume:
60, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The most plausible theory of the aetiology of endemic nephropathy links it with exposure to nephrotoxic mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA). In this study, the concentration of OTA and ...sphinganine/sphingosine (Sa/So) ratio, the biomarker of another nephrotoxic mycotoxin fumonisin B1 exposure, were analysed in 45 human urine samples collected in the endemic village of Kaniža in Croatia and in 18 samples from control village. Samples were collected twice from the same persons in 2000 and 2005. In both years the frequency of OTA-positive samples was higher in Kaniža (43 % and 18 %, respectively) than in the control village (28 % and 6 %, respectively). OTA concentrations in samples collected in Kaniža were higher in 2000 than in 2005 (p<0.005). Although in both years Sa/So ratio was higher in Kaniža, the difference from the control group was not statistically significant. No control sample contained OTA and had the Sa/So ratio >1 at the same time, while in Kaniža four such samples were collected in 2000 and one in 2005.
Najprihvatljivija teorija o etiologiji endemske nefropatije povezuje njezin nastanak s izloženošću nefrotoksi _nim mikotoksinima. Dok se izloženost mikotoksinu okratoksinu A (OTA) može dokazati njegovim nalazom u biološkim uzorcima kao što su krv i urin, vrlo kratko zadržavanje fumonizina B 1 (FB 1 ) u organizmu to onemogućava. Na pokusnim je životinjama nađeno da je porast omjera koncentracija sfingolipida sfinganina i sfingozina (Sa/So) biološki pokazatelj izloženosti tom mikotoksinu. U ovom istraživanju mjerena je koncentracija OTA i omjer koncentracija Sa/So u urinu 45 stanovnika u endemskom selu Kaniža i 18 stanovnika u kontrolnom selu. Uzorci urina skupljeni su od istih osoba 2000. i 2005. godine. U obje godine u _estalost uzoraka koji su sadržavali OTA bila je veća u Kaniži (43 % i 18 %) negoli u kontrolnom selu (28 % i 6 %). Koncentracija OTA također je bila viša u urinima skupljenim u Kaniži negoli u kontrolnom selu. Koncentracija OTA u uzorcima skupljenim u Kaniži 2000. bila je viša nego u uzorcima iz 2005. (p<0.005). Iako je u urinima iz obje godine omjer koncentracija Sa/So bio viši u Kaniži negoli u kontrolnom selu, razlika nije bila statisti _ki zna _ajna. Nije nađen nijedan uzorak skupljen u kontrolnom selu koji bi istodobno sadržavao mjerljivu koncentraciju OTA i omjer Sa/So veći od jedan. Za razliku od uzoraka iz kontrolnog sela, _etiri uzorka skupljena u Kaniži u 2000. godini i jedan uzorak u 2005. godini upućivali su na istodobnu izloženost ovim mikotoksinima.
Fusarium mycotoxins are frequent contaminants of cereals in this part of Europe. In this study, a total of 181 samples of maize, wheat, barley and oat were collected from different fields situated in ...six Croatian regions, and analysed using a validated ELISA method. Concentrations of deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), fumonisin (FUM) and T-2 toxin (T-2) were determined. Methodology validation showed the mean recovery rates to range from 72.8% to 103.6%, with the intermediate precision of 70.699.4% and variation coefficients (CV) of 3.6–6.2% and 6.1–10.2%, respectively. Maize proved itself as the most contaminated cereal, with DON as the most represented Fusarium mycotoxin (52.5%) followed by ZEA (40.5%), FUM (37.5%) and T-2 toxin (33%). Mycotoxin concentrations higher than allowed were observed in 4 maize samples and a single wheat sample. Given the warm and dry study period, such a contamination might be associated with some factors other than climate conditions that could cause Fusarium mycotoxin formation. The obtained data pointed towards the necessity for a consistent control over these contaminants and the definition of their maximal allowed levels in different foodstuffs and feedstuffs.
► Concentrations of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisin and T-2 toxin were determined. ► Maize proved itself as the most contaminated cereal. ► DON was the most represented Fusarium mycotoxin followed by ZEA, FUM and T-2. ► Mycotoxin concentrations higher than allowed were observed in 4 maize and a single wheat sample.
Traditionally, equid milk has been used as an alternative to human milk for infants or children mainly because of its similarities in nutrient composition, hypoallergenicity, immune modulation and ...antimicrobial activity. As a highly nutritious substrate, it possesses great potential for probiotic bacteria isolation. The aim of this study was to assess the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus plantarum M2 and L. plantarum KO9 isolated from donkey and mare milk, respectively, and determine TNF-α suppression attributed to their extracellular metabolites in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-)stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Resistance to simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, antimicrobial activity against pathogens, autoaggregation, coaggregation, biofilm quantification, antioxidative potential and haemolytic activity were determined. The isolated strains demonstrated great probiotic potential and their extracellular metabolites with molecular mass smaller than 2000 Da supressed TNF-α production up to 67% in LPS-stimulated PBMCs exerting high anti-inflammatory activity. Extracellular metabolites did not show any cyto/genotoxic effects toward PBMCs.
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