Fungi and Fusarium mycotoxins in corn silages

Ensiled forages and grains are very important for feeding dairy cows in the Portuguese Azores islands. Fungal spoilage of animal feed silage occurs frequently. Moulds have no significant beneficial purpose to the ensiling process, and their ability to proliferate results from silage environments that are aerobically unstable, leading to unstable silage, loss of nutritive substances and mycotoxins contamination. Eighty maize silos produced in the Azores were collected. Samples of the middle, surface, and critical points, which had visible mould contamination, were examined for the total fungi and Aspergillus fumigatus. Fumonisin B1 and deoxynivalenol were analysed for in 25 samples from the silo middle, that were considered to be good silos from the dry matter and the pH perspective. All samples contained fungi. High levels (over 104 CFU/g) of yeasts were found in 70 samples (89% of total samples). Thirteen samples (54%) from the middle, 21 samples (72%) from the surface and 19 samples (86%) from the critical points contained A. fumigatus. A. fumigatus is the dominant spoilage mould in maize silage in the Azores. Other fungi that were identified belong to the genera Absidia, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Monascus, Mucor, Penicillium, Phoma, Rhizopus, Sepedonium, Trichoderma, Verticillium. The mycotoxicological evaluation indicated contamination of 14 samples (56%) with fumonisin B1 and 10 samples (40%) with deoxynivalenol. Since Fusarium strains were rarely isolated, the presence of these mycotoxins could be explained by field contamination

Evolution of ochratoxin A content from must to wine in Port wine microvinification

To study the evolution of ochratoxin A (OTA) content from must to wine during the making of Port Wine, grapes from the five most common varieties of Port Wine were harvested and combined in equal percentages in order to perform microvinifications. Three sets of assays were studied: a blank (A), where the most common Port Wine-making process was used; in the second (B), a solution of OTA was added to the initial must; in the third (C), the grapes were aspersed with an inoculating solution of OTA-producing fungi. Samples were collected, in duplicate, on four different occasions throughout the process. The influence of the addition of SO_2 to the must was also assessed in each set. The quantification of OTA was based on the standard reference method for wines (European Standard prEN 14133), which includes clean-up via immunoaffinity columns and HPLC with fluorescence detection. The limits of detection were 0.076 μg/l for wine and 0.114 μg/l for must. The method was validated by assessing the precision, accuracy and by obtaining an estimate of the global uncertainty. Overall, the levels of OTA observed during the vinifications dropped by up to 92%, and no grapes used in this work were contaminated naturally.The authors wish to thank the support of the INIAP—Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e das Pescas (Portugal), through the Program AGRO, Medida 8.1, and all the personnel and facilities at the Centro de Estudos Vitivinícolas do Douro (Peso da Régua, Portugal) and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (Porto, Portugal)

A Statistical Analysis of Companies' Financing Strategies in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to establish which sources of financing were used and the relevance of different banking products for Portuguese companies during the pandemic. We also intend to understand the determinants of companies’ financing options and what lies behind their decisions concerning the appropriate level of debt. A quantitative methodology was used, based on a ques tionnaire given to Portuguese companies to analyse different financing issues. The sample was composed of 1957 companies with a business volume of more than EUR 500,000 per year. The results show that Portuguese companies focused on managing liquidity and corporate risk. We found evidence that companies kept financing themselves by banking products such as in the pre-pandemic period, although 29.6% resorted to the LAE-COVID economy support line. Companies decide on the appropriate amount of debt based on the nature of the business, the phase of the life cycle in which the company is, the cash flows’ volatility, accounting results, credit rating, and fiscal benefits. Academicians and companies should master the concept of company financing and adopt strategies to consider the level of debt and refine the banking products to be used. Although the literature on business financial management usually claims that all crises are the same, the COVID-19 pandemic not only caused a recession but also forced people and companies to adapt to a new environment. Portuguese companies have shown resilience and focus on their adoption of good financing practices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ozone against mycotoxins and pesticide residues in food: Current applications and perspectives

Food safety may be compromised by the presence of chemical contaminants, such as mycotoxins and pesticide residues. Mycotoxins are natural contaminants produced by certain species of filamentous fungi and can cause toxic effects on human health. Pesticide residues are any specified substance in food resulting from the use of a pesticide with toxicological significance. To protect consumers from these toxic substances, different food regulatory agencies have set maximum levels permitted in different raw materials and processed foods. However, recent research has demonstrated a high incidence of both mycotoxins and pesticide residues (not simultaneously) in foods marketed all around the world, sometimes with levels above the regulated limits. One way to reduce such contaminants is to use ozone (O3) in food processing. Due to its high potential as an oxidant, O3 or the radicals generated in the ozonation process react with mycotoxins and pesticide residues that lose their toxicity due to molecular degradation. In this review paper the recent research into using O3 for gaseous ozonation and ozonized water to decontaminate food by eliminating and/or reducing mycotoxins and pesticide residues are discussed. Also the changes promoted in food quality attributes, the possible formation of degradation products of toxic relevance, as well as some perspectives for the future use of this technology in food processing are explored.National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development, BrazilCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, BrazilRio de Janeiro State Foundation to Support ResearchAuthors are grateful for the financial support provided by CNPq (National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development, Brazil), CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil) and FAPERJ (Rio de Janeiro State Foundation to Support Research)

Effects of the modification of gas diffusion electrodes by organic redox catalysts for hydrogen peroxide electrosynthesis

This paper reports a comparative study of the electrochemical performance of in situ hydrogen peroxide electrogeneration on gas diffusion electrodes modified by organic redox catalysts 2-ethylanthraquinone, 2-terc-butylanthraquinone and azobenzene in medium of 0.1 mol L-1 H2SO4 plus 0.1 mol L-1 K2SO4, pH = 1. Hydrogen peroxide generation proved strongly dependent on the applied potential and on the concentration of added catalysts. Electrode modifications led to a significant increase in H2O2 yield (30%) reaching 850 mg L-1, and the overpotential for oxygen reduction shifted to less negative values (400 mV vs Ag/AgCl for electrodes modified by quinones and 300 mV vs Ag/AgCl for electrodes modified by azobenzene) compared to noncatalyzed gas diffusion electrodes, resulting in reduced energy consumption of 596.5 to 232.4 kWh kg-1. The results indicated that the best electrode for H2O2 electrogeneration is the gas diffusion electrode modified with 10% of 2-ethylanthraquinone, offering the best cost to benefit ratio.Este trabalho apresenta um estudo comparativo da eficiência eletroquímica na eletrogeração de peróxido de hidrogênio in situ usando eletrodos da difusão gasosa modificados com os catalisadores orgânicos redox: 2-etilantraquinona, 2-terc-butilantraquinona e azobenzeno em meio de 0,1 mol L-1 H2SO4 + 0,1 mol L-1 K2SO4, pH = 1. A produção de peróxido de hidrogênio está diretamente relacionada ao potencial aplicado e a concentração dos catalisadores adicionados. A modificação dos eletrodos resultou em um aumento significativo no rendimento de H2O2 (30%) alcançando 850 mg L-1 e o sobrepotencial da reação de redução do oxigênio foi deslocado para valores menos negativos (400 mV vs Ag/AgCl para os eletrodos modificados com quinonas e 300 mV vs. Ag/AgCl para os eletrodos modificados com azobenzeno) comparado ao eletrodo de difusão gasosa não modificado, reduzindo o consumo de energia de 596,5 para 232,4 kWh kg-1. Os resultados indicaram que o melhor eletrodo para a eletrogeração do H2O2 é o eletrodo de difusão gasosa modificado com 10% de 2-etilantraquinona, o qual apresentou a melhor relação custo/benefício.643650Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

A polyphasic approach for black Aspergillus identification using MALDI-TOF MS

The Aspergillus section Nigri is among the best studied fungi, having different commercial applications, but also causing biodeterioration of commodities and food spoilage. Although being well studied, their identification is not straightforward, and, recently, new species have been described in this section. These new species were not only separated from their relatives in the section by morphological distinction but also from molecular point of view. Recently, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been used to generate spectrum of protein masses in a range of 2000 to 20000 Da that is a taxon specific fingerprinting. This approach could be employed as an alternative to the molecular techniques

Ochratoxin A and filamentous fungi in red wine grapes from Santa Catarina, Brazil

The quality of wines has been evaluated traditionally according to sensorial properties. Recently, safety issues have been raised, such as pesticide residues and mycotoxins, with the introduction of new agricultural practices and the development of analytical methods with higher sensitivity. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is such a mycotoxin, produced by some Aspergillus and Penicillium species and is one of the most recent safety issues for wine. The mycobiota of, and the occurrence of OTA in Southern Brazilian grapes are not known. The presence of these contaminants was assessed by collecting 30 samples of grapes, from 16 vineyards, from the two most important wine subregions in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The mycobiota was evaluated by plating 10 grapes from each sample in Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, supplemented with chloramphenicol. Production of OTA by black Aspergillus strains was estimated after growing in Czapeck Yeast Agar. OTA was analysed in 9 grape samples by chromatography with immunoaffinity clean-up, as stipulated by the European regulation. Three hundred and eighty seven strains were isolated. The dominant genera were Cladosporium (found in 86.7% of plated berries), Alternaria (80.0%), Botrytis (70.0%), Aspergillus (66.7%), and Penicillium (63.3%). Sixteen A. niger aggregate strains (26 % of total Aspergillus strains) were isolated, and OTA was not detected from any of these strains. No A. carbonarius was isolated. OTA was found in 6 grape samples, with a range of values from 0.16 μg/Kg to 0.77 μg/Kg. In conclusion, no OTA producing black Aspergillus strains were found in grapes, although some grape samples contain the mycotoxin. The fungal source of OTA requires further investigation

Modelling the habitat preferences of the NE-Atlantic Sea cucumber Holothuria forskali : demographics and abundance

This work was funded by the Operational Program Mar2020 MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP-0052 “Newcumber - Avanços para o cultivo sustentável de pepinos do mar”. This work was also supported by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within the scope of the projects (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04292/2020, and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00006/2020) and the Associate Laboratory ARNET (https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0069/2020), A.C. Brito with the Scientific Stimulus Program – CEECIND/00095/2017, A.P. with the under the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Institutional Call - CEECINST/00051/2018 and Francisco Azevedo e Silva and João Trigo de Sousa through the individual grants (SFRH/BD/09563/2020 and SFRH/BDANA/02949/2023).Sea cucumbers' historical demand, together with the depletion of several traditional species in the market, has popularized new target species from new fishing grounds. Holothuria forskali is one of those emergent species in the trade market. However, it is a species for which there is no relevant information to allow sustainable stock management. Fundamental knowledge of the populations' structure and habitat preferences are key elements without which any measure is inconsequent. This work aims to fill that gap by modelling temporal and spatial patterns of abundance and demographic structure of this species in a NE-Atlantic area, as a function of environmental features. For a period of 15 months, nine regular sampling campaigns collected data on density, individual length, individual conditions of occurrence (e.g. sheltered, on sand, on algae cover) and environmental parameters (water column, sediment, substrate cover and type), using random transects throughout a costal rocky-reef, considering habitat heterogeneity and substrate types. To determine the species' habitat preferences Generalized Linear Models were used to model density and demographic structure of the species as a function of environmental conditions. The models revealed that the main drivers shaping the distribution of H. forskali are neither abiotic nor biotic parameters of the water column, but physical stressors, like current intensity and depth, and substrate type in a patchy distribution pattern. Estuarine conditions are generally avoided, although with a size-dependent opportunistic strategy. Larger individuals show temporal and spatial displacement patterns towards suitable reproductive conditions (pre-breeding aggregation) and favourable feeding grounds and smaller size-classes tend to aggregate in higher numbers in more stable environments. Sustainable sources for market supply, like aquaculture, are still a long way from commercial production. So, these results are fundamental to support effective conservation measures for stock management of H. forskaliPublisher PDFPeer reviewe