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Ochratoxin a in Cereals, Foodstuffs and Human Plasma

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Abstract

Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi contaminate cereals and foodstuffs, and can thus introduce ochratoxin A (OTA) into the food chain. In this work, five new isolates of Aspergillus: A. albertensis, A. auricomus, A. wentii, A. fumigatus and A. versicolor, were found to produce ochratoxin A. Data on the occurrence and the concentration levels of ochratoxin A in European food of vegetable and animal origin are reported. Furthermore, data on the concentration of ochratoxin A in blood of citizens of Western Europe are compared with those of some areas where Balkan endemic nephropathy is endemic. The results of the studies of Stoev and co-workers are reviewed and the possibility that OTA alone cannot be the cause of the Balkan endemic nephropathy is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Veterinary and Food Research Institute, P.O. Box 45, 00581, Helsinki, Finland

    A. Rizzo & M. Eskola

  2. Department of Clinical Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki University, P.O. Box 57, FIN-00014, Finland

    F. Atroshi

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  1. A. Rizzo
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  2. M. Eskola
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  3. F. Atroshi
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Rizzo, A., Eskola, M. & Atroshi, F. Ochratoxin a in Cereals, Foodstuffs and Human Plasma. European Journal of Plant Pathology 108, 631–637 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020683130901

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