Abstract
The occurrence and dietary exposure assessment of 16 mycotoxins, 6 biogenic amines (BAs), and 13 metallic elements in blue-veined cheeses (n = 46) is reported. Co-occurrence of mycophenolic acid (≤599 µg·kg−1) with roquefortine C (≤5454 µg·kg−1) was observed in 63% of the tested cheeses, while BAs were frequently present at concentrations between 0.2 and 717 mg kg−1. The concentrations of heavy metals in cheeses were very low. Chronic/acute exposure assessment based on consumption data from different European populations indicated that the levels of mycotoxins and heavy metals are safe to consumers, whereas, rather high hazard indexes (HI up to 0.77) were determined for BAs according to the worst-case scenario based on high consumption and 95th percentile occurrence. A more detailed acute dietary intake study indicated that histamine and tyramine were predominant among these BAs, reaching 27 and 41% of the acute oral intake reference doses.
Highlights
Roquefort, Blue Stilton, Danablu, and Gorgonzola are highly appreciated blue cheese varieties, which have been traditionally produced in certain regions of France, England, Denmark, and Italy.The interest by European consumers in new flavours and local products has created incentives for the production of blue cheese products in Poland, Germany, Spain, and other countries
Compared to other reported methods, the sensitivity of the developed method was satisfactory—the limit of detection (LOD) for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), mycophenolic acid (MPA), and Roquefortine C (ROQ C) (0.004, 0.12, and 0.47 μg kg−1 ) were at least 5 times lower compared to other methods, for example, as described by [7], whereas the detection limits for these mycotoxins were 0.02, 3.00, and 4.00 μg kg−1
Methods based on HPLC-MS/MS and photo-diode array detection (PAD) detection for the analysis of major mycotoxins in cheeses (ROQ C, MPA)
Summary
Blue Stilton, Danablu, and Gorgonzola are highly appreciated blue cheese varieties, which have been traditionally produced in certain regions of France, England, Denmark, and Italy.The interest by European consumers in new flavours and local products has created incentives for the production of blue cheese products in Poland, Germany, Spain, and other countries. The presence of different fungi and biochemical transformations of milk proteins during the fermentation and ripening of cheese may promote the formation of mycotoxins and biogenic amines (BAs) [1,2]. (AFB1 ), is the only regulated mycotoxin with an established maximum concentration of 0.05 μg kg−1 in milk used within the European markets [3]. Roquefortine C (ROQ C), mycophenolic acid (MPA), penicillic acid (PA), PR toxin, andrastatin A, and penitrem A (PNA) are major mycotoxins produced in blue cheeses mainly by strains of Penicillium roqueforti [4,5]. Ochratoxin A (OTA) and PNA have been found in blue cheeses at 1–4 μg kg−1 levels [8,9]
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