Fate of ochratoxin A during wheat milling and some Chinese breakfast processing

Abstract

To estimate the dietary intake of ochratoxin A (OTA), information on the fate during wheat processing is needed. The wheat contaminated with OTA at both levels (93.22 and 248.93 μg/kg) was artificially inoculated by Aspergillus ochraceus. Concentrations of OTA were 1.43–1.66 times higher in bran than whole wheat and 1.27–1.50 times higher in shorts than bran. A concentration reduction of 43.29–55.16% for OTA in flour was observed, with the final concentrations of 41.80 and 138.33 μg/kg in flour respectively. Whereas, OTA was not transferred or decomposed during milling, as the total amount of OTA in all milling fractions didn't decreased. The further losses of OTA were various depending on different processes. The concentration of OTA increased by 11–16% when the flour was processed into Chinese steamed bread (CBS), with the OTA concentrations of 49.2 and 161.35 μg/kg in CBS. It revealed fermentation and steaming increased the OTA levels in CBS. The loss of OTA was small in the Chinese fried bread sticks (CFBS) (38.84 and 129.02 μg/kg), being of 6.73–9.63%. A higher reduction of 23.27–23.92% for OTA was detected in the noodles processing, with the final concentration of 32.98 and 108.24 μg/kg in noodles respectively. The result revealed that the temperature, pH values and strains involved the processes exerted different effects. High temperature (180 °C) and alkaline condition (pH > 7) facilitated to the removal of OTA, while fermentation (with dry yeast) increased the OTA levels in products.