Towards harmonized approaches for mycotoxin analyses: an assessment

Abstract Mycotoxins (the poisonous metabolites of certain filamentous fungi) are potential contaminants of staple food commodities and, if uncontrolled, may present a significant public health hazard. In many jurisdictions, questions relating to mycotoxin contamination are addressed at both generic and specific levels by food-safety legislation. Key to the successful management of the mycotoxin question, both in terms of verifying food-safety measures by the agri-food businesses and ensuring compliance with statutory limits by enforcement agencies, is the use of reliable sampling and analytical methodology. Evidence from European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed data suggest that harmonization of methodologies used to determine the mycotoxin content of foods would contribute to improved compliance at both regulatory and commercial levels

Increased KL-6 levels in moderate to severe COVID-19 infection.

peer reviewed[en] BACKGROUND: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented significant challenges and created concerns worldwide. Besides, patients who have experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection could present post-viral complications that can ultimately lead to pulmonary fibrosis. Serum levels of Krebs von den Lungen 6 (KL-6), high molecular weight human MUC1 mucin, are increased in the most patients with various interstitial lung damage. Since its production is raised during epithelial damages, KL-6 could be a helpful non-invasive marker to monitor COVID-19 infection and predict post-infection sequelae. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated KL-6 levels of 222 COVID-19 infected patients and 70 healthy control. Serum KL-6, fibrinogen, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), platelet-lymphocytes ratio (PLR) levels and other biological parameters were analyzed. This retrospective study also characterized the relationships between serum KL-6 levels and pulmonary function variables. RESULTS: Our results showed that serum KL-6 levels in COVID-19 patients were increased compared to healthy subjects (470 U/ml vs 254 U/ml, P 453.5 U/ml was associated with COVID-19 (AUC = 0.8415, P < 0.0001). KL-6 level was positively correlated with other indicators of disease severity such as fibrinogen level (r = 0.1475, P = 0.0287), LDH level (r = 0,31, P = 0,004) and PLR level (r = 0.23, P = 0.0005). However, KL-6 levels were not correlated with pulmonary function tests (r = 0.04, P = 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: KL-6 expression was correlated with several disease severity indicators. However, the association between mortality and long-term follow-up outcomes needs further investigation. More extensive trials are required to prove that KL-6 could be a marker of disease severity in COVID-19 infection

Evaluation of Screening Program and Phylogenetic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Infections among Hospital Healthcare Workers in Liège, Belgium

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known to be at higher risk of developing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections although whether these risks are equal across all occupational roles is uncertain. Identifying these risk factors and understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission pathways in healthcare settings are of high importance to achieve optimal protection measures. We aimed to investigate the implementation of a voluntary screening program for SARS-CoV-2 infections among hospital HCWs and to elucidate potential transmission pathways though phylogenetic analysis before the vaccination era. HCWs of the University Hospital of Liège, Belgium, were invited to participate in voluntary reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays performed every week from April to December 2020. Phylogenetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes were performed for a subgroup of 45 HCWs. 5095 samples were collected from 703 HCWs. 212 test results were positive, 15 were indeterminate, and 4868 returned negative. 156 HCWs (22.2%) tested positive at least once during the study period. All SARS-CoV-2 test results returned negative for 547 HCWs (77.8%). Nurses (p < 0.05), paramedics (p < 0.05), and laboratory staff handling respiratory samples (p < 0.01) were at higher risk for being infected compared to the control non-patient facing group. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that most positive samples corresponded to independent introduction events into the hospital. Our findings add to the growing evidence of differential risks of being infected among HCWs and support the need to implement appropriate protection measures based on each individual’s risk profile to guarantee the protection of both HCWs and patients. Furthermore, our phylogenetic investigations highlight that most positive samples correspond to distinct introduction events into the hospital

Transformation des céréales: aptitude à la panification

Les critères à prendre en considération pour la constitution des lots de céréales ont été présentés dans le dossier technique "Fabrication du pain" (Itinéraires BIO N°26) de 2016: teneurs en protéines, indice de Zélény et nombre de chute de Hagberg. Ces critères permettent une classification rapide de lots de céréales, afin de les diriger vers une filière de transformation adaptée: meunerie, amidonnerie, alimentation animale, bioéthanol de première génération,..

Comment maîtriser les risques de contamination liés au stockage des céréales en ferme

Lorsqu'il est bien maîtrisé, la durée de stockage peut atteindre 10 à 18 mois, mais les risques d'altération de la qualité augmentent avec la montée des températures. Nous allons passer en revue les étapes importantes pour un stockage réussi

Le stockage des céréales à la ferme

Dossier technique expliquant le stockage des céréales à la ferme (nettoyage, tri des grains, séchage, ventilation, stockage

De l'orge brassicole pour du micromaltage en Wallonie

Il est surprenant de constater que la Belgique produit d'énormes quantités de bière (19.000.000 hectolitres par an) et de malt(800.000 tonnes par an) alors qu'elle ne produit que des quantités négligeables d'orge brassicole (10.000 tonnes par an). Il faut compter 1,25 tonne d'orge brassicole pour produire 1 tonne de malt. Le malt (d'orge) correspond à de l'orge que l'on a fait germer et qui a ensuite été séché. Ce processus de maltage permettra la transformation de l'amidon en sucre lors du brassage. Ce sucre sera transformé en alcool lors de la fermentation. Pour la production de bière, il faut utiliser 20 à 25 kg de malt par hectolitre de bière spéciale et 18 kg de malt par hectolitre de pils. Le malt représente plus de 98% de la matière sèche d'une bière. Nos bières belges, dont la renommée est connue bien au delà de nos frontières et qui sont patrimoines immatériels de l'humanité, ne sont donc plus si belges que ça aujourd'hui