Abstract
Chronic intake of cereals contaminated with ergot alkaloids can cause ergotism and result in the loss of toes and fingers or even death. Today, due to common risk management practices, ergotism is rare as a human disease but remains a problem in livestock husbandry. Each alkaloid coexists under two forms (R and S), though only the R-form presents toxic effects. The epimerization occurs spontaneously but the mechanisms remain globally unknown. Therefore, different processing methods were evaluated for their respective influences on the epimerization. The results suggest that ergotamine and ergosine are very stable ergot alkaloids, and neither their concentrations, nor their respective R/S ratios, are significantly influenced by heating, protic solvents or UV light. In contrast, for ergocristine, ergokryptine, ergocornine and ergometrine, heating can decrease the concentrations of these alkaloids and heat, protic solvents and UV light influence the R/S ratio towards the S-form, though the respective influence on the epimerization of these compounds is variable. In addition, the total concentration of all ergot alkaloids is reduced through heating. However, all these effects are not strong enough to change the composition of ergot alkaloids in feed substantially and to transform toxic feed into non-toxic feed.
Highlights
Ergot alkaloids are the active substances produced by some species of Claviceps purpurea, a sac fungi growing in moderate climate zones on sweet grasses like rye, triticale, wheat or sorghum, and on wild herbs (Geiger and Miedaner, 2009)
Separation of all ergot alkaloids and the corresponding epimers was sufficient for allowing separate integration of the peaks (see Figure 2, showing a chromatogram of a standard solution in acetonitrile and a blank wheat extract spiked at 100 μg/kg (Figure 2 B) on which the peaks of each alkaloid and each corresponding epimer are clearly distinguishable)
The present study suggests that ergotamine and ergosine are very stable ergot alkaloids, and neither their concentrations, nor their respective R/S ratios, are significantly influenced by heating, protic solvents or UV light
Summary
Ergot alkaloids are the active substances produced by some species of Claviceps purpurea, a sac fungi growing in moderate climate zones on sweet grasses like rye, triticale, wheat or sorghum, and on wild herbs (Geiger and Miedaner, 2009). The spores enter the open florets of the plant during bloom and infect the ovaries of the plants, and the fungus grows on the cereal grains producing new mycelium and sclerotia. Most sweet grasses can be infected by Claviceps purpurea, rye and triticale are most concerned because they are self-pollinators and their blossoms open more widely and can collect more spores (Lorenz, 1979; Krska et al, 2008; Di Mavungu et al, 2012; Merkel, 2013; EFSA, 2012, 2017). Anthony's fire or Holy Fire (Breitmaier, 2008), it plays nearly no role in human medicine today, but remains a problem in livestock husbandry, above all for ruminants (Bennet and Klich, 2003)
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