Invited Presenter

Noshin Daud ¹, Margaret-Jane Gordon ¹, Louise Cantlay ¹, Silvia W. Gratz ¹
1. Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, UK
Corresponding author: Silvia Gratz, s.gratz@abdn.ac.uk

Gratz, Silvia W.

s.gratz@abdn.ac.uk

Cereals such as wheat, barley and oats are frequently contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins including type A trichothecenes (T-2 and HT-2 toxin) and type B trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol, DON; nivalenol, NIV), as well as their glucoside conjugates (masked mycotoxins). In Scottish cereals, contamination with T-2 and HT-2 and their masked forms pose a major challenge in oats, while wheat and barley are less frequently contaminated with DON and NIV and their masked forms. In oats, organic production and low-intensity cereal rotations were found to lower the risk of T-2 and HT-2 contamination (1). De-husking of oats removed the majority of mycotoxins with the outer husk, but significant levels remain and are carried over into final food products. Dietary mycotoxin exposure constitutes free mycotoxins and masked mycotoxins which are present in cereal foods. In vitro studies found high bioaccessibility of mycotoxins and masked mycotoxins from contaminated food, and masked mycotoxins were readily degraded and free mycotoxins released by human gut microbiota (2-4). In a urinary biomarker study, consumption of oat foods and cereal foods was associated with increased urinary excretion of HT-2 and DON in UK children. Dietary exposure frequently exceeded tolerable daily intakes (TDI), indicating exposure above safe levels (5-6). In summary, we demonstrate that contamination of cereal crops with free and masked mycotoxins results in carry-over into cereal foods and increases the risk of dietary mycotoxin exposure in cereal consumers. Acknowledgements: This project received funding from the Scottish Government (RESAS) and Interface Multiparty Fund. References: (1)Daud et al.(2023) doi:10.3390/toxins15040247; (2)Gratz et al.(2017) doi:10.1002/mnfr.201600680; (3)Daud et al.(2020) doi:10.3390/toxins12100654; (4)Daud et al.(2020) doi:10.1080/09637486.2019.1698015; (5)Charusalaipong et al.(2024) doi:10.3390/toxins16060251; (6)Gratz et al.(2020) doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.9b03964

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