Aflatoxin [HRP]

Chlorpyrifos is one of the most used insecticides in agro-ecosystems and is repeatedly applied due to the increase in pest resistance, which leads to environmental accumulation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of chlorpyrifos on growth and aflatoxin B-1(AFB(1)) production by fourAspergillussectionFlavistrains, under different water conditions-a(W)(0.93, 0.95 and 0.98)-on maize-based medium (MMEA) and maize grains supplied with 0.06 to 1.4 mmol/L of chlorpyrifos. MMEA plates were incubated at 18, 28, and 37 degrees C and plates with maize grains at 25 degrees C during 21 days. Chlorpyrifos stimulated the growth and AFB(1)production of non-target organisms, such asAspergillussectionFlavistrains, both at low (0.06 mmol/L) and at high concentrations (1.4 mmol/L) on MMEA and maize grains. Stimulation occurred over a wide range of temperature and a(w)conditions. The toxin concentration produced by the two strains on MMEA at 18 degrees C increased when the concentration of chlorpyrifos also increased, being most significant at 0.6 mmol/L. In conclusion, the presence of chlorpyrifos should be considered as a factor, together with environmental conditions, for the development of effective production practices of maize grains, in order to avoid fungal growth and AFB(1)production, to prevent both economic losses and risks to human and animal health.

Ochratoxin, especially Ochratoxin A, is assumed to be one of the five most important mycotoxins contaminating food and feed. Primarily developing countries are affected due to the climate conditions and poorer modes of production. The overall adverse health effects on humans are still unclear, although threatening associations have been proven. Knowledge gaps lead to difficult scientific assessments and different regulations worldwide. Therefore, this study aims at the evaluation of global research by applying advanced bibliometric approaches in combination with convincing visualization techniques based on density equalizing mapping. An amount of 3900 publications on Ochratoxin could be identified published between 1965 and 2019. The USA, China, and Germany are the most publishing countries, whereas, in terms of socio-economic impact, Croatia, Tunisia, and Serbia occupied the first ranks. Influenced by the scientific infrastructure or epidemiological history, these countries satisfy the needs of research. Nevertheless, especially developing countries that belong to the most affected regions are only marginally participating. They have to be integrated into international networks. A public increasing awareness would lead to take up the challenge of controlling human exposure by implication of food and feed safety.