Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin B1

Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin B1: New Research first presents the latest knowledge regarding the occurrence of ochratoxin A in dry-cured meat and dairy products, as well as relevant food safety issues. Different remediation strategies such as heating, ripening, drying, storage and the use of microbial cultures, which have been adopted for the prevention or decontamination of ochratoxin A, are critically reviewed. Next, the authors assess the occurrence of ochratoxin A in different types of dry-fermented sausages and hams produced by various households in Croatia, proposing that in order to avoid contamination, the production of household-based meat and meat products should run under standardized and well-controlled conditions. In the subsequent study, a total of sixty mold-contaminated rice, corn and groundnut samples were collected from one of the Cauvery delta regions of Tamil Nadu, India, and analyzed to determine the co-occurrence of ochratoxin A and citrinin, and the respective mycotoxigenic fungal strains that produce these toxins. Besides the known adverse effects of alcohol, beer could also be the source of several mycotoxins such as aflatoxin B1. Aflatoxin B1 is the most toxic among the identified aflatoxins and classified into group I as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancers. The stability of aflatoxin B1 during the brewing process, as well as the most important detection techniques and sample treatment used for the determination of this compound are evaluated.