Essential oils: An eco-friendly alternative for controlling toxigenic fungi in cereal grains.

Fungi are widely disseminated in the environment and are major food contaminants, colonizing plant tissues throughout the production chain, from preharvest to postharvest, causing diseases. As a result, grain development and seed germination are affected, reducing grain quality and nutritional value. Some fungal species can also produce mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites for vertebrate animals. Natural compounds, such as essential oils, have been used to control fungal diseases in cereal grains due to their antimicrobial activity that may inhibit fungal growth. These compounds have been associated with reduced mycotoxin contamination, primarily related to reducing toxin production by toxigenic fungi. However, little is known about the mechanisms of action of these compounds against mycotoxigenic fungi. In this review, we address important information on the mechanisms of action of essential oils and their antifungal and antimycotoxigenic properties, recent technological strategies for food industry applications, and the potential toxicity of essential oils.

Heavy metals and health risk assessment of Brazilian artisanal cheeses.

Dairy products stand out as a food matrix susceptible to the contamination of heavy metals via cattle feed and environmental or processing conditions. Specifically, in the case of cheese, the concentrations can be further increased depending on the production process. The artisanal cheese market has been standing out, especially in Brazil, due to cultural and gastronomic reasons. Eight types of Brazilian artisanal cheese were analyzed for metal concentrations (chromium, copper, cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury, n = 80, 10 samples of each cheese) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Based on the results, a health risk assessment was carried out, based on the determination of estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient (THQ), and hazard index (HI). Variable concentrations were observed between the types of cheese, but in all cases the THQ and HI values were less than 1, indicating an absence of potential risk in the consumption of artisanal cheeses in relation to the intake of heavy metals.

Evaluation of the leaching of florfenicol from coated medicated fish feed into water.

Florfenicol is one of the most-used antimicrobial agents in global fish farming. Nevertheless, in most countries, its use is not conducted in accordance with good practices. The aim of this work was to evaluate the leaching of florfenicol from coated fish feed into the water. Analytical methods were developed and validated for the quantitation of florfenicol in medicated feed and water by UHPLC-MS/MS. Florfenicol residues in the water were quantified after 5- and 15-min exposures of the medicated feed in the water at 22 and 28 °C and at pH 4.5 and 8.0. The influence of pellet size and three coating agents (vegetable oil, carboxymethylcellulose, and low-methoxylated pectin) on the leaching of the drug was also assessed. Pellet size, coating agent, water temperature, and time of exposure significantly (p < 0.05) affected florfenicol leaching, while water pH did not interfere with the leaching. Coating with vegetable oil was the most efficient method to reduce florfenicol leaching, while coating with carboxymethylcellulose presented the highest leaching (approximately 60% after 15 min at 28 °C). Thus, the coating agent has a significant effect on the florfenicol leaching rate and, consequently, on the necessary dose of the drug to be administered. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that higher florfenicol leaching will pose a greater risk to environmental health, specifically in terms of the development of bacteria resistant to florfenicol. Additional studies are needed with other polymers and veterinary drugs used in medicated feed for fish farming.