Aflatoxin M1 in milk from urban and rural farmhouses of Punjab, Pakistan

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) was determined in 107 milk samples collected from urban and rural farmhouses from Punjab, Pakistan, by HPLC with fluorescence detection. An incidence rate of 64% (38/59) in milk samples from urban farmhouses was found, with a mean concentration of 0.064 ± 0.023 μg L−1. In rural samples about 52% (25/48) of milk samples were contaminated with AFM1, with a mean of 0.04 ± 0.034 μg L−1. About 42% of milk samples from urban and 27% from rural farmhouses were well above the limit permitted by the European Union (EU). However, only 15% and 8% of milk samples from urban and rural farmhouses, respectively, exceeded the limit of USDA/Codex regulations. The results showed that the contamination of milk with AFM1 from Punjab, Pakistan, when compared with Codex limit is present and needs continuous monitoring. The awareness and education among dairy farmers on the potential health risks associated with aflatoxins should be communicated

Natural occurrence of aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin M1 in “halva” and its ingredients.

A total 431 samples including halva (56), pistachio (71), almond (63), semolina (69), cardamom (34), raisins (46), halva puri (39) and wheat powder (53) were analyzed using HPLC equipped with florescence detector. The results have shown that 32 (57%) samples of halva, 45 (63%) pistachio, 43 (68%) almond, 46 (67%) semolina, 21 (62%) cardamom, 19 (41%) raisins, 21 (54%) halva puri and 22 (42%) of wheat powder samples were found contaminated with AFB1, and 11 (20%), 23 (32%), 34 (54%), 12 (17%), 11 (32%), 7 (15%), 9 (23%) and 11 (21%) samples, respectively were above the European Union permissible limit (2 μg/kg). The results have shown that 20 (59%) samples of halva that contained milk were found contaminated with AFM1 and 3 (9%) samples were found above the recommended limit for AFM1 i.e. 0.05 μg/kg. Limit of detection (LOD) and Limit of quantification (LOQ) for AFB1 and AFM1 were 0.04 μg/kg, 0.12 μg/kg, and 0.004 μg/L, 0.012 μg/L, respectively

Aflatoxins in dates and dates products

A total of 153 samples of dates and dates products (date cookies, date cake and date halva) from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan were evaluated for aflatoxins (AFs) using HPLC equipped with fluorescence detection. Thirty eight out of 96 samples (39.6%) of different date varieties and 18 out of 57 (31.6%) samples of date products contained AFs. The total mean level of AFs ranged between 2.90 to 4.96 μg/kg and 2.76 to 4.80 μg/kg in dates and dates products, respectively. About 16 and 20 samples of dates were found above the permissible level for AFB1 and total AFs, respectively (i.e. 2 μg/kg, 4 μg/kg). Furthermore, two samples of date's cookies and one sample of date cake were found above the level of AFB1 and total AFs and three and five samples of date halva were found above the recommended limit for AFB1 and total AFs, respectively. The high occurrence of AFs may cause health hazards and limit exports

Detection of aflatoxins and zearalenone contamination in wheat derived products

In present study the natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and zearalenone (ZEN) has determined in 147 samples of wheat derived products i.e. spaghetti (25), noodles (34), macaroni (29), lasagne (37), and bucatini (22), collected from major districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The mean of AFs was found 9.12 in spaghetti, 7.35 in noodles, 5.91 in macaroni, 8.39 in lasagne, and 9.61 μg/kg in bucatini and 28, 18, 17, 22 and 27% of samples were found above the European Union's legal limit (i.e. 4 μg/kg) for total AFs, respectively. However, mean value of ZEN was found 7.36 in spaghetti, 6.80 in noodles, 4.98 in macaroni, 6.90 in lasagne, and 8.89 μg/kg in bucatini samples and 16, 15, 21, 19 and 36% of samples were found to be above the recommended limit. The study urged the need to focus more comprehensive survey for these toxins in wheat derived products from Punjab, Pakistan

Assessment of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and zearalenone in breakfast cereals

Aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEN) were analysed in 237 breakfast cereal samples collected from central areas of Punjab, Pakistan. According to the results, 41% of the samples were found contaminated with AFs, out of which 16% and 8% samples were found to be above the European Union (EU) maximum content for AFB1 and total AFs, respectively. About 48% samples were found contaminated with OTA and 30% samples were found to be above the EU maximum content. The results have shown that 53% samples of breakfast cereals were found contaminated with ZEN and 8% samples were found to be above the permissible limit of EU. The highest mean level of AFB1 and total AFs were found in semolina i.e. 3.60 and 4.55 μg/kg, respectively. Similarly, semolina was the highest contaminated breakfast cereal for OTA (3.90 μg/kg), while cornflakes (brand B) was found highest contaminated with ZEN (13.45 μg/kg)

Potencial antioxidante de extractos de residuos agroalimentarios: estabilización de aceite de maíz

The antioxidant potential of 80% methanolic extracts of some agro wastes (pomegranate peel, apple peel, banana peel, citrus peel, corncob, wheat husk, wheat bran, rice bran, and rice hull) was assessed. The yields of the extracts varied over a wide range (8.83 to 29.9 g/100g of dry weight). TPC, TFC, total flavonols (kaempeferol, quercetin, myricetin; HPLC method), DPPH. radical scavenging and inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation for the extracts varied significantly (P < 0.05) ranging from 0.16-36.40, 0.026-4.89 g/100g of dry matter, 1.06-2622.41 mg/Kg of dry matter, 11.2-52.6, and 64.8-96.4%, respectively. Pomegranate peel extract, offering the highest TPC, TFC, and total flavonols exhibited superior antioxidant activity followed by apple peel, citrus peel, banana peel, corncob, wheat bran, rice bran, wheat husk, and rice hull. Furthermore, the antioxidant effectiveness of the extracts was assessed using corn oil (CO) as the oxidation substrate. CO samples stabilized with extracts at a concentration of 600 ppm (w/w) were subjected to accelerated aging (60 ºC, oven heating, 30 days; 8 h heating cycle per day), and analyzed periodically for the extent of oxidative alterations following the measurement of conjugated dienes (CD), conjugated trienes (CT), p-anisidine and peroxide values. The correlation between the results of different antioxidant assays and oxidation parameters investigated in the present study indicated that fruit peel extracts, exhibiting higher TPC, TFC, flavonol and scavenging power, were also more potent for enhancing the oxidative stability of corn oil.En este studio se determinó el potencial antioxidante de extractos de methanol al 80%, de distintos resíduos de granada, manzana, frutos cítricos, maíz, trigo y arroz. Los rendimientos de los extractos variaron en un amplio rango (8.89 a 29.9 g/100 g de materia seca). La cantidad total de compuestos fenólicos, de flavonoides y de flavonoles, así como la capacidad para secuestrar radicales y la inhibición de la oxidación del ácido linoleico varió significativamente (P < 0.05). El extracto de piel de granada contenía las cantidades más elevadas de compuestos fenólicos, de flavonoides y de flavonoles y exhibió la capacidad antioxidante más elevada, seguido del de piel de manzana, piel de cítricos, piel de plátano, mazorca de maíz, salvado de trigo, salvado de arroz, cáscara de trigo y cáscara de arroz. Igualmente, se estableció la actividad antioxidante de los extractos usando aceite de maíz como sustrato. Muestras de aceite estabilizadas con los distintos extractos (600 mg/kg) fueron sometidas a oxidación acelerada (60 °C en horno durante 30 días con ciclos de calentamiento de 8 h/día) y periódicamente se determinaron los siguientes índices: dienos y trienos conjugados, índice de panisidina e índice de peróxidos. Finalmente, se estudiaron las correlaciones entre los resultados de los distintos ensayos y los niveles de compuestos con acción antioxidante, destacando los extractos de pieles de fruta por su mayor contenido en compuestos fenólicos, flavonoides y flavonoles, e igualmente por su potencia para aumentar la estabilidad oxidativa del aceite de maíz

Variation of aflatoxin M1 contamination in milk and milk products collected during winter and summer seasons

Total 221 samples of milk and milk products were collected during winter (November 2011–February 2012) and 212 samples were collected during summer (May–August 2012) from central areas of Punjab, Pakistan. The samples were analyzed for the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) with a validated HPLC method equipped with florescence detector. The results revealed that from winter season almost 45% samples of milk and milk products were found to be contaminated with AFM1 i.e. 40% of raw milk, 51% of UHT milk, 37% of yogurt, 60% of butter and 43% of ice cream samples and 27, 24, 25, 34 and 17% of samples were found above the recommended limit for AFM1, respectively. However, from summer season 32% samples of milk and milk products were found to be contaminated i.e. 36% of raw milk, 31% of UHT milk, 29% of yogurt, 40% of butter and 24% of ice cream and 23, 23, 18, 20 and 5% of samples were found above the permissible limit for AFM1, respectively. The levels of contamination in winter milk and milk product samples were significantly higher (α ≤ 0.05) than in summer season. The occurrence of AFM1 in milk and milk products were higher, demanding to implement strict regulations and also urged the need for continuous monitoring of milk and milk products in order to minimize the health hazards

Patulin mycotoxin in mango and orange fruits, juices, pulps, and jams marketed in Pakistan

The objective of the study was to explore the incidence of patulin (PAT) mycotoxin in mango and orange fruits and derived products marketed in Pakistan. A total of 274 samples, including 70 mango fruits, 63 mango-based products (juices, pulp, and jam), 77 orange fruits, and 64 orange-based products, were collected. PAT was determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-Vis detector (276 nm). Linear detector response was observed (R2 > 0.99), the limit of detection (LOD) was 5 µg/kg and recovery percentage was 97.4%. The incidence of PAT in mango samples was 61.7%, and the concentration ranged from <LOD to 6415 µg/kg with a mean of 110.9 µg/kg. Our results showed the high susceptibility of mango fruits to patulin, and it was observed that decayed mango fruits were most contaminated with PAT. Among the mango samples, PAT concentration was higher in fruits than in processed products such as mango juice, pulp, and jam. Toxin incidence in orange samples was 52.5% with concentrations from <LOD to 61 µg/kg and a mean of 6.3 µg/kg. As much as 29 samples of mango (21.8%) contained PAT concentration above the regulatory limit (50 µg/kg), whereas there was only one exceeding orange sample (0.7%). Our results show that PAT seems to be a problem in fruits, juices, and derived solid products, especially from mango, and needs surveillance on regular basis

Heavy metals in selected vegetables from markets of Faisalabad, Pakistan

Two hundred ten samples of selected vegetables (okra, pumpkin, tomato, potato, eggplant, spinach, and cabbage) from Faisalabad, Pakistan, were analyzed for the analysis of heavy metals: cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg). Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used for the analysis of heavy metals. The mean levels of Cd, Pb, As, and Hg were 0.24, 2.23, 0.58, and 7.98 mg/kg, respectively. The samples with Cd (27%), Pb (50%), and Hg (63%) exceeded the maximum residual levels set by the European Commission. The mean levels of heavy metals found in the current study are high and may pose significant health concerns for consumers. Furthermore, considerable attention should be paid to implement comprehensive monitoring and regulations