Abstract
The detection of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in the milk of ruminants occurs infrequently and at low levels, but its occurrence may be higher in dairy products such as cheese. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of OTA in cheeses purchased in the metropolitan city of Bologna (Italy) and the surrounding area. For the analysis, a LC-MS/MS method with a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 1 µg/kg was used. OTA was detected in seven out of 51 samples of grated hard cheese (concentration range 1.3–22.4 µg/kg), while it was not found in the 33 cheeses of other types which were also analysed. These data show a low risk of OTA contamination for almost all types of cheese analysed. To improve the safety of cheese marketed in grated form, more regulations on cheese rind, which is the part most susceptible to OTA-producing moulds, should be implemented or, alternatively, producers should consider not using the rind as row material for grated cheese. It would be interesting to continue these investigations particularly on grated hard cheeses to have more data to update the risk assessment of OTA in cheese, as also suggested by EFSA in its 2020 scientific opinion on OTA.
Highlights
The whole world is facing a large crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)which began in 2019 in China, from where it rapidly spread all over the world
The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of ochratoxin A in various type of cheese purchased from local markets, supermarkets, and specialised shops, mostly located in the metropolitan city of Bologna (Emilia Romagna, Northern Italy) and the surrounding area
Assay interference was evaluated by analyzing cheese samples with no detectable amount of Ochratoxin A (OTA) and spiked samples
Summary
The whole world is facing a large crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)which began in 2019 in China, from where it rapidly spread all over the world. In order to combat the COVID crisis, food companies confirmed the implementation of more restrictive hygiene procedures as well as the additional purchases of PPE. Despite all of these challenges, available data seemed to indicate that food safety had not been compromised [4]. In this context, we believe it is important to emphasise that, in addition to all the new measures taken to reduce the risk of coronavirus contamination in food, regulations in the food industry, already in place before the pandemic, should not be overlooked
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