Between February and October 2009, 324 grain, feed and feed commodity samples were sourced directly at animal farms or feed production sites in Middle East and Africa and tested for the presence of A- and B-trichothecenes, zearalenone, fumonisins, aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, or for selected groups of mycotoxins only. Samples were analyzed after clean-up by immunoaffinity or solid-phase extract...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most abundant food-contaminating mycotoxins. Its occurrence in several agricultural commodities has been considered a worldwide problem. This toxin is mainly produced by Aspergillus species. OTA has nephrotoxic, immunosuppressive, and carcinogenic effects and consequently the contamination with this toxin represents a high risk for human and animal health. In th...

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are considered as polymeric materials that mimic the functionality of antibodies. MIPs have been utilized for a wide variety of applications in chromatography, solid phase extraction, immunoassays, and sensor recognition. In this article, recent advances of MIPs for the extraction and analysis of ochratoxins are discussed. Selection of functional monomers t...

An impedimetric aptasensor for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection has been developed on the base of a gold electrode covered with a new modifier consisting of electropolymerized Neutral Red and a mixture of Au nanoparticles suspended in the dendrimeric polymer Botlorn H30®. Thiolated aptamer specific to OTA was covalently attached to Au nanoparticles via Au-S bonding. The interaction of the aptamer w...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced as a secondary metabolite by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium and frequently found as a natural contaminant in a wide range of food commodities. Novel and robust biorecognition agents for detecting this molecule are required. Aptamers are artificial nucleic acid ligands able to bind with high affinity and specificity to a given target mol...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition, mold count and mycotoxin contamination of corn silage collected during a six month-period. The results indicated that the chemical composition and the physicochemical parameters evaluated did not show significant variation during the sampling time. Fungal count on RBC ranged from 1.7 x 10(3) to 9 x 10e8 CFU/g. Mucor, Penicillium an...

The taxonomy of the important mycotoxigenic species Penicillium viridicatum and P. verrucosum was reviewed to clarify disagreements relating to the three P. viridicatum groups erected by Ciegler and coworkers (A. Ciegler, D. I. Fennell, G. A. Sansing, R. W. Detroy, and G. A. Bennett, Appl. Microbiol. 26:271-278, 1973) and the mycotoxins produced by them. Cultures derived from the types of these...