Joint International Conference on Long-term Experiments ...

TOXIGENIC FUNGI AND MYCOTOXINS IN GRAINS AND BAKERY
PRODUCTS FROM ROMANIA
Carmen Puia, Viorel Florian, Alexandra Suciu, Augusta Lujerdean*, Dana Pusta*
Department of Plant Protection, *Department of Chemistry, University of Agricultural
Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj Napoca, Romania
ABSTRACT
Our researches want to establish the mycoflora and the natural occurrence of
mycotoxins in grains for industrialization and fodder, bread and bakery products in our
country. We intend to compare these levels with the international ones and to change
the legal level of mycotoxins admitted by our laws and to align these levels with the
European legislation. The authors reported the identification of mycoflora in 130
samples of grains, bread, biscuits and cereal flakes from different districts of Romania.
Moulds evaluation was determined using conventional methods as blotting test and
Ulster test. The predominant genera were those of toxigenic fungi: Penicillium,
Aspergillus and Fusarium.
Our studies were focused on finding rapid methods for screening of aflatoxins B1,
(AB1), aflatoxin B2 (AB2), aflatoxin G1 (AG1), aflatoxin G2 (AG2) and ochratoxin A.
Mycotoxins were extracted in chloroform, separated on silicagel thin-layer
chromatography plates and quantificated using densitometric analysis. There were
analyzed 39 cereal samples (wheat and maize) from different Romanian districts.
The contamination range was: aflatoxin B1: 1.7 - 5.7 µg/kg, aflatoxin B2: 0.02 -2.8
µg/kg, aflatoxin G1: 1.1 – 5.7 µg/kg, aflatoxin G2: 0.12 – 1.8 µg/kg, total aflatoxins: 1.2
– 10.8 µg/kg and ochratoxin A: 4.4 - 30.0 µg/kg. The higher number of contamination
rate was in the case of wheat samples. The mycotoxin analyses reveal to us a high and
dangerous level of ochratoxin A and total aflatoxins. Our food and fodder are dangerous
and our legislation is way too permissive. We have to align our legislation with the
European one to take care about our grains.
Key words: mycoflora, toxigenic fungi, grains, bakery products, mycotoxins
INTRODUCTION
Man has long benefited from the nutritional properties of certain microscopic fungi,
such as ferments and yeasts used in making cheese, beer, bread, vinegar and yogurt. But
some moulds of fungal origin are potent poisons, especially the mycotoxin family that
has been the subject of increased attention over the past 15 years.
Most fungi produce a class of chemical compounds called secondary metabolites.
These compounds have a wide range of biological activities including antibiotic
(antibacterial and antifungal), acute and chronic toxicities (plant, animal, and humans),
hormones and growth regulation (plants and animals). Several species of fungi that
colonize grains produce mycotoxins, however not all isolates of a toxigenic species
produce mycotoxins and isolates capable of producing a mycotoxin do not always
synthesize the toxin (Mills, 1990).
Our researches, want to establish the mycoflora and the natural occurrence of
mycotoxins in grains for industrialization and fodder in our country. We intend to
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