Ochratoxin A Levels in Tissues of Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) from Northern Italy.

Tiziano Iemmi,Irene Magnini,Valentina Meucci,Andrea Ariano,Alessandro Menozzi,Lorella Severino,Simone Bertini,Federica Battaglia

doi:10.3390/toxins12110706

Tiziano Iemmi, Irene Magnini + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12110706

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Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium, capable of contaminating several foodstuffs. OTA damages primarily the kidneys, and is suspected to be a carcinogenic substance, thus maximum levels for OTA in foodstuffs have been established in the EU. Italian Ministry of Health suggested a maximum level of 1 μg/kg OTA in pork meat and derived products. In this study, OTA concentrations in liver, kidney, and muscle of 64 wild boars (Sus scrofa) killed in two areas (area A and B) of Parma province (northern Italy), characterized by different habitat types, were assessed by HPLC-FLD technique. OTA was detected in 54% liver, 52% kidney, and 16% muscle samples. OTA levels were significantly higher in liver and kidney compared with muscle, and were above 1 μg/kg in 19 liver, 17 kidney, and 4 muscle samples. OTA levels in wild boars from area A resulted significantly higher with respect to those from area B, suggesting an environmental influence on OTA contamination in wild boars. This study seems to confirm that wild boar meat is a potential source of OTA, thus monitoring the presence of this mycotoxin in game meat might be recommended to prevent risks for human health.

Highlights

Ochratoxins are a group of mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, almost ubiquitous in the environment
The analytical method has shown to be suitable for accurate quantitative determination of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in different tissues of wild boars
OTA was detected in 54% of liver samples and 52% of kidney samples, whereas a lower percentage of muscle samples (16%) showed OTA levels above limit of detection (LOD)

Summary

Introduction

Ochratoxins are a group of mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, almost ubiquitous in the environment. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is the most important and harmful ochratoxin, capable of contaminating several agricultural products and foods, such as barley, sorghum, corn, legumes, coffee beans, dried fruits, spices, beer, wine, cheese, and meat [1]. The presence of OTA in food products of animal origin may be due to the proliferation of fungi and consequent mycotoxin synthesis and release in the alimentary material, but it may be a consequence of the carry-over phenomenon from contaminated animal feed [2]. OTA is highly bound to albumin in blood, and this, together with the fact that the mycotoxin is subjected to enterohepatic recirculation, contributes to its long elimination half-life, which was found as long as 72–120 h in pigs [3], and up to 35 days in humans [4]. A huge absorption of OTA can cause an Toxins 2020, 12, 706; doi:10.3390/toxins12110706 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins

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