Exposure Assessment to Mycotoxins in a Portuguese Fresh Bread Dough Company by Using a Multi-Biomarker Approach.

Susana Viegas,Robert Kosicki,Ricardo Assunção,Carla Martins,Carla Nunes,Ana Almeida,Magdalena Twarużek,Carla Viegas,Bernd Osteresch,Paula Alvito,Jan Grajewski

doi:10.3390/toxins10090342

Abstract

Mycotoxins are toxic mold metabolites that can persist in environment long after the fungi species responsible for their production disappear. Critical workplace for mycotoxins presence has already been studied and nowadays it is possible to recognize that exposure to mycotoxins through inhalation occurs due to their presence in dust. This study aimed to assess occupational co-exposure to multiple mycotoxins in a fresh bread dough company, an occupational setting not studied until now. Occupational exposure assessment to mycotoxins was done using a LC-MS/MS urinary multi-biomarker approach. Twenty-one workers and nineteen individuals that were used as controls participated in the study. Workers/controls (spot-urine) and environment (settled dust) samples were collected and analyzed. Concerning workers group, DON-GlcA, and OTA were the most prevalent biomarkers (>LOD), 66% and 90.5%, respectively. In the control group, OTA was also one of the most detected (68%) followed by CIT (58%) and DON-GlcA (58%). DON was the mycotoxin measured in high amounts in the settled dust sample (58.2 ng/g). Both workers and controls are exposed to several mycotoxins simultaneously. The workers group, due to their high contact with flour dust, revealed a higher exposure to DON. Considering these results, risk management measures must be applied including specific and adequate health surveillance programs in order to avoid exposure and consequently the associated health consequences.

Highlights

Mycotoxins are well known active mold metabolites produced by specific fungal genera, primarilyAspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Fusarium genus [1,2]
Mycotoxins can persist in the environment even in the absence of visible mold since they resist adverse abiotic factors such as high or low temperatures and can be present in the environment long after the death; the disintegration of the fungi species is responsible for their production [4,5,6]
The individuals integrating the control group were working in offices without expected occupational exposure to mycotoxins

Summary

Introduction

Mycotoxins are well known active mold metabolites produced by specific fungal genera, primarilyAspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Fusarium genus [1,2]. Mycotoxins can persist in the environment even in the absence of visible mold since they resist adverse abiotic factors such as high or low temperatures and can be present in the environment long after the death; the disintegration of the fungi species is responsible for their production [4,5,6]. They are extremely difficult to eliminate from food even after the cooking process [7]. The increased risk of European countries with temperate climates to have higher exposure to fungi and mycotoxins due to climate change has already been identified by some authors [8,9], and this aspect must be considered when predicting potential exposure to mycotoxins in specific exposure scenarios

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