Browsing by Author "De Saeger, Sarah"

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    Insights into Alternaria in apple fruit causing mouldy core, external infection and mycotoxin production under retail and storage conditions
    (Elsevier, 2025-08-02) Pavicich, María Agustina; Maldonado, María Luisa; Nguyen, Truong Nhat; De Boevre, Marthe; De Saeger, Sarah; Patriarca, Andrea
    Apple fruit is widely consumed worldwide, but fungal contamination in the postharvest stage presents a significant food safety concern. This study evaluates the production and accumulation of Alternaria mycotoxins, including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl-ether (AME), and the modified forms (AOH-3-S, AME-3-S, AOH-3-G, AME-3-G), altenuene (ALT), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN), altertoxin I and II (ATX[sbnd]I, ATX-II), in Red Delicious apples under simulated retail and post-harvest conditions. Three Alternaria tenuissima strains (isolates 02, 31 and 36) were inoculated in apple fruit at two sites separately (core and exterior) and incubated at two temperatures (25 °C and 4 °C) for 1 and 9 months. Mycotoxin production was quantified using LC-MS/MS, revealing significant variability across strains and conditions. Isolates 02 and 36 exhibited significant temperature and site-dependent variability in mycotoxin production. Higher levels of AOH, AME, ALT, and ATX-I were produced at 25 °C and in the core. Long-term cold storage delayed fungal growth but did not prevent mycotoxin accumulation, raising concerns about the safety of processed apple products. These findings highlight the need for stricter monitoring of mycotoxins during post-harvest storage to mitigate health risks. The findings provide insights into their toxigenic capacity in vivo and highlight potential risks for food safety.
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    International interlaboratory study to normalize liquid chromatography-based mycotoxin retention times through implementation of a retention index system
    (Elsevier, 2025-03-29) Kelman, Megan J.; Renaud, Justin B.; McCarron, Pearse; Hoogstra, Shawn; Chow, Willis; Wang, Jian; Varga, Liz; Patriarca, Andrea; Medina, Angel; Visintin, Lia; Nguyen, Truong Nhat; De Boevre, Marthe; De Saeger, Sarah; Karanghat, Vasudevan; Vuckovic, Dajana; McMullin, David R.; Dall'Asta, Chiara; Ayeni, Kolawole I.; Warth, Benedikt; Huang, Mei; Tittlemier, Sheryl A.; Mats, Lili; Cao, Rong; Sulyok, Michael; Xu, Kangkang; Berthiller, Franz; Kuhn, Michael; Cramer, Benedikt; Ciasca, Biancamaria; Lattanzio, Veronica M. T.; De Baere, Siegrid; Croubels, Siska; DesRochers, Natasha; Sura, Srinivas; Bates, Jennifer; Wright, Elliott James; Thapa, Indira; Blackwell, Barbara A.; Zhang, Kai; Wong, Jon W.; Burns, Laura; Borts, David J.; Sumarah, Mark W.
    Monitoring for mycotoxins in food or feed matrices is necessary to ensure the safety and security of global food systems. Due to a lack of standardized methods and individual laboratory priorities, most institutions have developed their own methods for mycotoxin determinations. Given the diversity of mycotoxin chemical structures and physicochemical properties, searching databases, and comparing data between institutions is complicated. We previously introduced incorporating a retention index (RI) system into liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based mycotoxin determinations. To validate this concept, we designed an interlaboratory study where each participating laboratory was sent N-alkylpyridinium-3-sulfonates (NAPS) RI standards, and 36 mycotoxin standards for analysis using their pre-optimized LC-MS methods. Data from 44 analytical methods were submitted from 24 laboratories representing various manufacturer platforms, LC columns, and mobile phase compositions. Mycotoxin retention times (tR) were converted to RI values based on their elution relative to the NAPS standards. Trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol) showed tR consistency (± 20–50 RI units, 1–5 % median RI) regardless of mobile phase or type of chromatography column in this study. For the remaining mycotoxins tested, the RI values were strongly impacted by the mobile phase composition and column chemistry. The ability to predict tR was evaluated based on the median RI mycotoxin values and the NAPS tR. These values were corrected using Tanimoto coefficients to investigate whether structurally similar compounds could be used as anchors to further improve accuracy. This study demonstrated the power of employing an RI system for mycotoxin determinations, further enhancing the confidence of identifications.
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    MycoKey round table discussions of future directions in research on chemical detection methods, genetics and biodiversity of mycotoxins
    (MDPI, 2018-03-01) Leslie, John F.; Lattanzio, Veronica; Audenaert, Kris; Battilani, Paola; Cary, Jeffrey; Chulze, Sofia N.; De Saeger, Sarah; Gerardino, Annamaria; Karlovsky, Petr; Liao, Yu-Cai; Maragos, Chris M.; Meca, Giuseppe; Medina-Vayá, Ángel; Moretti, Antonio; Munkvold, Gary; Mulè, Giuseppina; Njobeh, Patrick; Pecorelli, Ivan; Perrone, Giancarlo; Pietri, Amedeo; Palazzini, Juan M.; Proctor, Robert H.; Rahayu, Endang S.; Ramírez, Maria L.; Samson, Robert; Stroka, Jörg; Sulyok, Michael; Sumarah, Mark; Waalwijk, Cees; Zhang, Qi; Zhang, Hao; Logrieco, Antonio F.
    MycoKey, an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project, includes a series of “Roundtable Discussions” to gather information on trending research areas in the field of mycotoxicology. This paper includes summaries of the Roundtable Discussions on Chemical Detection and Monitoring of mycotoxins and on the role of genetics and biodiversity in mycotoxin production. Discussions were managed by using the nominal group discussion technique, which generates numerous ideas and provides a ranking for those identified as the most important. Four questions were posed for each research area, as well as two questions that were common to both discussions. Test kits, usually antibody based, were one major focus of the discussions at the Chemical Detection and Monitoring roundtable because of their many favorable features, e.g., cost, speed and ease of use. The second area of focus for this roundtable was multi-mycotoxin detection protocols and the challenges still to be met to enable these protocols to become methods of choice for regulated mycotoxins. For the genetic and biodiversity group, both the depth and the breadth of trending research areas were notable. For some areas, e.g., microbiome studies, the suggested research questions were primarily of a descriptive nature. In other areas, multiple experimental approaches, e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics, RNAi and gene deletions, are needed to understand the regulation of toxin production and mechanisms underlying successful biological controls. Answers to the research questions will provide starting points for developing acceptable prevention and remediation processes. Forging a partnership between scientists and appropriately-placed communications experts was recognized by both groups as an essential step to communicating risks, while retaining overall confidence in the safety of the food supply and the integrity of the food production chain.
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    Natural occurrence, exposure assessment & risk characterization of Alternaria mycotoxins in apple by‑products in Argentina
    (Springer, 2023-04-03) Pavicich, María Agustina; De Boevre, Marthe; Vidal, Arnau; Mikula, Hannes; Warth, Benedikt; Marko, Doris; De Saeger, Sarah; Patriarca, Andrea
    Data on the natural occurrence of Alternaria mycotoxins in apple by-products is lacking in Argentina and the risk of exposure to these mycotoxins has not been characterized before. The levels of alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), altenuene (ALT), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN), altertoxin-I (ATX-I), altertoxin-II (ATX-II), alternariol 3-sulfate (AOH-3-S), alternariol 3-glucoside (AOH-3-G), alternariol monomethyl ether 3-sulfate (AME-3-S), and alternariol monomethyl ether 3-glucoside (AME-3-G) were determined in clarified and cloudy apple juices, marmalades, and apple-based infant food from the Argentinean market, and the risk of exposure was characterized. Detectable levels of AME, TEN, TeA, AME-3-S and AOH-3-G were found in clarified juices, while the same mycotoxins plus AOH were found in cloudy apple juices in higher concentrations. AME, TEN, TeA and AOH-3G were detected in marmalades, and AOH, AME, TEN and TeA in apple infant food. Probabilistic exposure assessment and risk characterization were carried out for children between 6 months and 5 years old in Argentina. The highest risk of exposure affected children between 6 and 23 months from the consumption of apple infant food and mainly associated with the alternariols. Better control strategies to prevent the incorporation of Alternaria mouldy core into the process line and the establishment of legislation for Alternaria mycotoxins are needed in Argentina.