Presence of citrinin in grains and its possible health effects

Background: Citrinin is a mycotoxin produced by several species of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Monascus and it occurs mainly in stored grain. Citrinin is generally formed after harvest and occurs mainly in stored grains, it also occurs in other plant products. Often, the co-occurrence with other mycotoxins is observed, especially ochratoxin A, which is usually associated with endemic nephropathy. At the European Union level, systematic monitoring of Citrinin in grains began with the aim of determining its highest permissible amount in food. Thus, far the systematic monitoring of the above mentioned mycotoxin in Croatia is yet to begin.Materials and Methods: The main goal of this study was to determine the presence of Citrinin in grains sampled in the area of Međimurje, Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem and Brod-Posavina County. For the purpose of identification and quantification of citrinin, high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) with fluorescence was used (Calibration curve k ≥ 0.999; Intra assay CV = 2.1%; Inter assay CV = 4.3%; LOQ < 1 μg/kg).Results: From the area of Međimurje County, 10 samples of corn and 10 samples of wheat were analyzed. None of the samples contained Citrinin (<1 μg/kg). From the area of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem County, 15 samples from each County were analyzed. The mean value for the samples of Osijek-Baranja County was 19.63 μg/kg (median=15.8 μg/kg), while for Vukovar-Srijem County the mean value of citrinin was 14,6 μg/kg (median=1.23 μg/kg). From 5 analyzed samples from Brod-Posavina County, one of the samples contained citrinin in the amount of 23.8 μg/kg, while the registered amounts in the other samples were <1 μg/kg.Conclusion: The results show that grains from several Counties contain certain amounts of Citrinin possibly indicating a significant intake of citrinin in humans. It must be stated that grains and grain-based products are the basis of everyday diet of all age groups, especially small children, where higher intake of citrinin can occur. Consequently, we emphasize the need for systematic analysis of larger amount of samples, from both large grains and small grains, especially in the area of Brod-Posavina County, in order to obtain more realistic notion of citrinin contamination of grains and to asses the health risk in humans.Keywords: Citrinin, cereals, Balkan nephropathy, risk assessmen

Praćenje količine soli u prehrambenim proizvodima

Uvod i cilj rada: Kuhinjska sol ili natrij klorid nezaobilazni je dodatak gotovo svakoj hrani. Osim što doprinosi boljem okusu hrane, neophodna je za njegovo normalno funkcioniranje jer sudjeluje u mnogim fiziološkim procesima. Preveliki unos soli utječe negativno na rad krvnožilnog sustava, bubrega, te na niz raznih procesa u organizmu. Veliki broj namirnica sadrže u svom sastavu određenu količinu soli na koju sami ne možemo utjecati, stoga je cilj ovoga rada bio utvrdi količinu soli prisutnu u pojedinim vrstama hrane a koja se svakodnevno koristi u prehrani, osobito djece i mladih.Materijal i metode: Ukupno je analizirano 54 uzoraka hrane podijeljenih u četiri skupine: mlijeko i proizvodi od mlijeka, pekarski proizvodi, orašasti proizvodi  i snack proizvodi. U uzorcima je količina soli određivana indirektnim, računskim putem preko natrija, sukladno Uredbi o informiranju potrošača o hrani 1169/2011. Količina natrija u uzorcima određivana je nakon obrade mikrovalnom digestijom, vezanim sustavom imuno spregnute plazme i spektrometrije masa (ICP-MS).Rezultati: Dobivene vrijednosti u skupini mlijeka i mliječnih proizvoda kretale su se u rasponu od 0,01g/100 g u mlijeku do 2,5 g/100 g u siru, u skupini pekarskih proizvoda od 0,36 g/100 g do 2,48 g/100 g, u orašastim proizvodima od 0,02 g/100 g do 2,9 g/100g, a u snack proizvodima od 0,06 g/100 g do 2,4 g/100gZaključak: Evidentno je da u svim analiziranim kategorijama hrane, postoje proizvodi koji sadrže znatnu količinu soli, a koja bi prilikom prekomjernog i kontinuiranog uživanja takvih namirnica mogla štetno utjecati na zdravlje potrošača. To je osobito izraženo kod orašastih i snack proizvoda, a koje najčešće konzumira mlađa populacija. Smanjenje soli u proizvodnji hrane zahtjeva određene promjene tijekom tehnološkog procesa proizvodnje, što može potrajati i dulji vremenski period. Obzirom na dobivene rezultate preporučuje se primjena alternativnih trendova u tehnološkom procesu prerade hrane, kao što je nanotehnologija, a sve u cilju postupnog smanjenja razine soli u svakodnevnoj prehrani

Investigation of milk quality after removal of AFM1 using lactic acid bacteria and beta-glucan

Contamination of milk with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is related to the feed for milking cows, which is contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Feed AFB1 converts to AFM1 by dehydrogenation. In this study, we used Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from raw milk and its products and commercial or laboratory-made beta-glucan isolated from yeast and oats to establish how these mycotoxin binders affect the quality of sterilised, long-life, 2.8% fat milk contaminated with 0.05 mg/L of AFM1. We took the content of fats, carbohydrates, sugars (lactose), and proteins, and the calculated energy values for quality parameters. The mean energy value of the milk treated with AFM1 binders ranged between 85.7% and 101.5% of the control, untreated milk, whereas the fat content ranged between 65.3% and 100.7%. The protein content ranged between 64.4% and 101.1%, carbohydrates between 83.1% and 103%, and lactose between 76.3% and 100.8%. The results indicated a good possibility of binding of AFM1 with Lactobacilus plantarum bacteria, and 0.01% of β-glucan from oats was 0.005% of β-glucan isolated from yeast from Saccharomyces cerevisiae 20. These findings suggest that milk treated with these binders can be processed further and that its treatment significantly reduces the risk of exposure through diet and the related economic damage

Research on the Impact of Temperature on Change in Olive Oil Quality

Maslinovo ulje visokovrijedna je i kvalitetna namirnica te osnova svake mediteranske prehrane, ali i šire. Sama kvaliteta maslinova ulja, osim načina proizvodnje, uvjetovana je i načinom čuvanja. Svjesni smo činjenice da su maslinova ulja često izložena utjecaju svjetlosti i visokim temperaturama, koje znatno mogu utjecati na njegovu kvalitetu, kako kod proizvođača i distributera tako i kod samih potrošača. Cilj je ovoga rada u laboratorijskim uvjetima simulirati uvjete temperaturnih režima te duljine ekspozicije maslinovih ulja, prateći njihov utjecaj na parametre kvalitete ulja kao što su ukupna kiselost ulja, peroksidni broj, K-broj te promjenu sastava masnih kiselina, uključujući i promjenu senzorskih svojstava. Analizama je utvrđeno da temperatura i način skladištenja imaju znatan utjecaj na promjenu kvalitete ulja, osobito kada je riječ o ukupnoj kiselosti ulja i peroksidnom broju. Stoga je od iznimne važnosti da se ulje skladišti u prikladnoj ambalaži, odnosno tamnim staklenim bocama te da se skloni od utjecaja direktnih Sunčevih zraka i visoke temperature.Olive oil is a product of high quality and worth, presenting a basis for the Mediterranean diet, as well as other diets. The high quality of olive oil is not only achieved by the way it is produced, but also the the way is kept. Fact is that olive oil is frequently exposed to high temperatures and sunglight, which can influence its quality just the same with consumers, as with manufacturers and distributers. The aim of this paper is to simulate temperature regimes in a laboratory and measure the length of exposure of olive oil to those high temperatures, paying special attention to the total acid number of the oil, the oil quality parameters, such as the peroxide value, K – value, as well as change in structure of fatty acids, including change of sensory properties. Through analysis it was established that temperature and ways in which olive oil is being kept have significant effect on how the oil quality changes, especially when talking about the total acid number and the peroxide number. That being said, it is extremely important the oil is kept in appropriate containers, those being small glass bottles, as well as moved from direct sunlight and therefore high temperatures

Drug delivery in intervertebral disc degeneration and osteoarthritis : Selecting the optimal platform for the delivery of disease-modifying agents

Acknowledgement We would like to acknowledge Prof. Gerjo Van Osch and prof Molly Stevens for their careful and critical revision of the manuscript. We wish to thank all principal investigators of the TargetCaRe consortium for their enormous support during the years: Prof G. van Osch. Prof. Mauro Alini, Prof. Bruce Caterson, Dr. Alan Chan, Prof. Cosimo De Bari, Prof. Ron Heeren, Prof. Kennet Howard, Prof. Marcelle Machluf, Prof. Molly M. Stevens and Prof. Avner Yayon. This work was supported by European Union's Horizon 2020 Research And Innovation Programme under Marie Sklodowska Curie Grant agreement no. 642414.Peer reviewedproofPublisher PD

PRESENCE OF CITRININ IN GRAINS AND ITS POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS

Background: Citrinin is a mycotoxin produced by several species of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Monascus and it occurs mainly in stored grain. Citrinin is generally formed after harvest and occurs mainly in stored grains, it also occurs in other plant products. Often, the co-occurrence with other mycotoxins is observed, especially ochratoxin A, which is usually associated with endemic nephropathy. At the European Union level, systematic monitoring of Citrinin in grains began with the aim of determining its highest permissible amount in food. Thus, far the systematic monitoring of the above mentioned mycotoxin in Croatia is yet to begin. Materials and Methods: The main goal of this study was to determine the presence of Citrinin in grains sampled in the area of Međimurje, Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem and Brod-Posavina County. For the purpose of identification and quantification of citrinin, high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) with fluorescence was used (Calibration curve k ≥ 0.999; Intra assay CV = 2.1%; Inter assay CV = 4.3%; LOQ < 1 μg/kg). Results: From the area of Međimurje County, 10 samples of corn and 10 samples of wheat were analyzed. None of the samples contained Citrinin

Drug delivery in intervertebral disc degeneration and osteoarthritis: Selecting the optimal platform for the delivery of disease-modifying agents

Osteoarthritis (OA) and intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) as major cause of chronic low back pain represent the most common degenerative joint pathologies and are leading causes of pain and disability in adults. Articular cartilage (AC) and intervertebral discs are cartilaginous tissues with a similar biochemical composition and pathophysiological aspects of degeneration. Although treatments directed at reversing these conditions are yet to be developed, many promising disease-modifying drug candidates are currently under investigation. Given the localized nature of these chronic diseases, drug delivery systems have the potential to enhance therapeutic outcomes by providing controlled and targeted release of bioactives, minimizing the number of injections needed and increasing drug concentration in the affected areas. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the currently most promising disease-modifying drugs as well as potential drug delivery systems for OA and IVDD therapy