1,721,075 research outputs found
Why 'New' foods are safe and how they can be assessed
No full textThe chapter presents an overview of the safety assessment process for Novel Foods within the European Union. The main steps are presented and discussed together with the applied methodologies. Bottlenecks and limitations are examined, also in view of increasing transparency in consumer communication and improving overall consumer trust in Novel Foods
Masked mycotoxins: An emerging issue that makes renegotiable what is ordinary
No full textThe masked mycotoxins issue is of increasing relevance in the field of food safety. Although under discussion, regulations are still to be set due to the lack of proper toxicological data. In this communication, we discuss the unmet needs to support regulatory bodies in the decision making on this class of compound
The burden of disease due to dietary exposure to acrylamide in Italy: A risk assessment-based approach
No full textThe aim of this study was to assess Italian consumers’ risk of cancer and burden of disease due to dietary exposure to acrylamide. Our model considered six age groups such as infants, toddlers, other children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly, and the consumption of 31 food items. Using a risk-assessment-based approach, we first characterized the risk of neoplastic effects using the margin of exposure method. Then the risk of kidney, endometrial, breast, ovarian cancer, and total cancer was estimated using adjusted cancer slope factors while the burden of disease was quantified using Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The highest risk for females was related to breast cancer while the lowest was for kidney cancer. We found a comparable risk of total cancer among Italian males and females, estimated at around 1.59 to 3.57 cases per 100,000 individuals annually with the burden ranging between 12.3 – 25.4 and 11.4 – 24.1 DALYs respectively. Our findings provide insights on the multifaceted impact of acrylamide on public health by offering detailed insights into age-specific exposure levels, diverse cancer risks, and the dietary burden of disease related to acrylamide. Targeted interventions and policies can be developed towards mitigating the health risks associated with acrylamide exposure
Left-censored data and where to find them: Current implications in mycotoxin-related risk assessment, legislative and economic impacts
No full textBackground: One of the most challenging steps in chemical risk assessment is the dietary exposure due to the high percentage of left-censored data (LCD). Mycotoxins are the group of chemical contaminants known to show the highest percentage of LCD among chemical contaminants. These data are extremely important especially if they are used for the development of new legislations with permitted maximum limits. Scope and approach: In this study, we address the importance of analytical techniques and current methods of dealing with LCD, with the goal of highlighting the effect of LCD on risk assessment, which could have a potential impact on future regulations of mycotoxins in foods and the economic implications of such regulations. Key findings and conclusions: Thirteen European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Scientific Opinions and Reports on the risk of mycotoxins to humans were evaluated. The most used analytical method was based on Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). Most of the occurrence data for mycotoxins in EFSA risk assessments over the last decade were condensed between 80 and 100% LCD. The typical statistical methods to handle LCD, the substitution method and cut-off values approach, frequently lead to the overestimation of the human risk which can ultimately lead to stricter law regulations with economic implication on the agricultural trades. Understanding the obstacles that analysts face and the type of data that risk assessors require will help to close the uncertainties and gaps that currently exist in exposure and risk assessment. Establishing limits of detections (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) while having a clear data purpose can help reduce uncertainties in risk assessment and provide more meaningful exposure evaluations
Occurrence of mycotoxins in meat alternatives: Dietary exposure, potential health risks, and burden of disease
No full textThis study aimed to present the occurrence of sixteen mycotoxins in 105 meat alternatives based on wheat, legumes, and vegetables from Italy. The targeted mycotoxins were aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2), fumonisins B1 and B2 (FB1, FB2), alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), T-2/HT-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), enniatin B (ENNB), and beauvericin (BEA). The occurrence of mycotoxins was between 0% (AFB2) – 97.4% (ENNB). Mycotoxin co-occurrence varied from binary combinations up to mixtures of twelve. To assess the dietary exposure and potential health risks we simulated the replacement of meat consumption for Italian consumers with meat alternatives. The cumulative exposure to Alternaria mycotoxins and trichothecenes indicated a potential health risk while the exposure to aflatoxins and ochratoxin A indicated a potential health concern related to liver and renal cancer in the model scenario. Moreover, we estimated the risk of liver cancer from exposure to AFB1 and quantified the potential burden using Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Luckily, the potential risk of liver cancer was low between 0 and 0.05/100,000 individuals with an associated burden of disease of 0.83 DALYs/100,000 individuals. Taking into consideration the presence of meat alternatives on the food market and the ongoing shift towards plant-based diets there is a need for continuous monitoring to keep the occurrence at safe levels. More attention is needed from the regulatory side for policymakers to consider the legislations of mycotoxins in meat alternatives
Human Health Impact Based on Adult European Consumers’ Dietary Exposure to Chemical Contaminants and Consumption of Unprocessed Red Meat, Processed Meat, and Legumes
No full textIn this study we assessed the human health impact based on dietary trends for adult consumers in Europe. The risk of ten illnesses was estimated based on dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, aflatoxin B1, and pesticides and consumption of unprocessed red meat, processed meat, and legumes (reference scenario (RS)) and a simulated alternative scenario of legumes consumption only (AS). Nutrient adequacy per each diet was estimated for vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and selenium. The burden of disease was quantified using Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The potential health risk and DALYs differ when comparing the burden due to exposure to chemical contaminants and the burden from the consumption of food, the former favoring the RS, while the latter favors the AS. The burden of disease due to exposure to chemical contaminants was between 672,410–1,215,875 DALYs in the RS, while in the AS it was between 964,132–1,084,229 DALYs. Consumption of processed meat added up to 1,813,338 DALYs, while legume intake averted 364,973 DALYs. However, the AS also indicated lower nutrient intakes potentially increasing the risk of nutrient inadequacy. A balanced diet made up of a variety of different foods is essential to prevent potentially higher dietary exposures to a range of chemical contaminants and assure adequate micronutrient intake. Greater importance should be given to food consumption trends and cross-referenced to existing and new natural toxin legislation and risk assessments in view of the ubiquitous and growing occurrence of heavy metals and mycotoxins in our food. The impacts of climate change, and the growing tendency toward plant-based diets are two factors which will drive further increases in human exposure to toxic contaminants. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.
Mechanisms of Fumonisin B1 Toxicity: A Computational Perspective beyond the Ceramide Synthases Inhibition
No full textFumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium fujikuroi species complex that may contaminate food and feed threatening human and animal health. Among the fumonisins group, fumonisin B1 is the most widespread and best characterized in terms of toxicity, while additional toxicological data on its congeners, such as N-acylated and hydrolyzed forms, need to be collected to support the group-based risk assessment. The inhibition of ceramide synthase has been identified as the key molecular mechanism of fumonisins toxicity resulting in modifications of sphingolipids rheostat. However, the existence of ancillary mechanisms and biological targets are likely to occur given the growing number of evidence reporting the multitarget mechanisms of mycotoxins toxicity. Therefore, in the framework of the early warning analysis of multitarget toxicity of fumonisins group, the present study aimed at searching potential targets for future hazard characterization studies of fumonisin B1 and its hydrolyzed and N-acetylated forms. In particular, on the basis of structural analogies with known inhibitors, the molecular interaction between N-acylated and hydrolyzed forms of fumonisin B1 and either ceramide transfer protein or sphingosine kinase I was assessed with a molecular modeling study. Our results pointed out that the molecular features of N-acylated hydrolyzed fumonisin B1 and hydrolyzed fumonisin B1 may allow the interaction with the ceramide transfer protein and with the sphingosine kinase I enzyme, respectively. Overall, our results identified such proteins as relevant targets that might take part in fumonisins group toxicity, adding plausible mechanistic insights to better understand fumonisins toxicity. Moreover, possible divergences in the mechanisms of action of fumonisin B1 and its modified forms were identified pointing out the need to assess their relevance with high priority to enhance the understanding of group toxicity
A systematic review of natural toxins occurrence in plant commodities used for plant-based meat alternatives production
Full text linkThe ongoing shift from traditional diets to plant-based meat alternatives is governed by the friendly-character related to consumers' health and environment. However, the beneficial aspects of meat alternatives overshadow the possible adverse effects that accompany them. The present systematic review shows that the contamination of the most common plant-based meat alternatives, soybean, chickpea, pea, and seitan with mycotoxins is understudied or not studied at all. Even though they are toxic and were found in soy-based food, tropane and beta-carboline alkaloids contamination data in plant-based meat alternatives is also lacking. Mycotoxin mixtures that can have additive or synergistic toxic effects have been found in multiple soy-based food, revealing the high risk that consumers expose themselves to. To better understand the risks that come along with the shift to plant-based meat diets, future research is needed regarding contamination data of plant-based meat alternatives with natural toxins. Maximum limits for contaminants found in plant-based meat alternatives need to be established by the European Commission in order to ensure consumers' food safety
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