engleski

Contamination of Croatian traditional meat products with ochratoxin A and it’s mould producers in relation to regional weather

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is the most common mycotoxin contaminant of traditional meat products (TMPs). It can be produced by different Aspergillus and Penicillium species that overgrow the surface of TMPs during ripening, facilitated by uncontrolled traditional household production and local weather. The aim of this study was to investigate into OTA contamination and it’s mould producers by virtue of analysing 120 TMP samples produced in 5 Croatian regions (Eastern, Northern, Central, Western, and Southern), and to relate this contamination to regional weather during products’ maturation. Mould species were identified by beta- tubulin and calmodulin loci sequencing, while OTA concentrations were determined using LCMS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). OTA was detected in the concentration range of 0.33-4.81 µg/kg in 7% of the samples. Three potential ochratoxigenic species were isolated: P. nordicum (8%), A. tubingensis (5%), and A. welwitischie (2%). The samples coming from the Western region had the highest average OTA concentration (1.93±2.04 µg/kg) and yielded the highest number of ochratoxigenic isolates. The average temperature during the products’ ripening was 15 °C, i.e., optimal for OTA production, by P. nordicum that was predominantly isolated. Unlike other regions with moderate climate, in the Southern region having a hot and dry weather resemblant of subtropics, neither OTA nor P. nordicum were detected, suggesting that OTA was mainly produced by the Penicillium rather than the Aspergillus species in the moderate climatic regions.

mycotoxins ; sausages ; Penicillium ; Aspergillus ; temperature

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