Angela Vecchio

Production of cyclopiazonic acid by molds isolated from Taleggio cheese.

Twenty-seven strains of Penicillium were isolated from the rind of Taleggio, a typical Italian cheese, so that we could test their capacity to produce cyclopiazonic acid (CPA); all strains produced CPA. The production was strongly influenced by the strain variety and growth conditions. Strains incubated at 25 degrees C for 7 days always produced CPA in mannitol broth, with concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 1 microg/ml, whereas only 33% of strains grown in yeast-extract broth produced CPA, with a maximum value of 0.1 microg/ml. In milk, maximum production (1.6 microg/ml) was observed after 14 days of incubation at 25 degrees C. In order to evaluate the presence of the toxin and its capacity for migrating into the cheeses, the rind, the cheese near the rind, and the cores from six Taleggio cheeses were analyzed. CPA was present in five cheeses, with a maximum concentration of 0.25 mg/kg in one rind, and in one cheese, the toxin migrated to the core. A positive correlation between CPA production and surface mold was found.

Occurrence of aflatoxins in feedstuff, sheep milk and dairy products in Western Sicily

Abstract Samples of feedstuffs (15), milk (40), and cheese (30) coming from sheep and dairy farms (23) or market in Western Sicily were analyzed for their respective content of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and M1 (AFM1) to evidence any possible indirect mycotoxin contamination risk to the consumer. Analyses using HPLC and fluorescence detection were performed after immunoaffinity column sample extraction and cleanup; AFM1 was detected in 30% of the milk samples at levels ranging from 4 to 23 ng/l and in 13% of the cheeses from 21 to 101 ng/kg; in the feed the AFB1 ranged from <10 to 769 ng/kg. None of the contaminated samples exceeded the legal limits set down by the European Union for milk (50 ng/l) and feed (5 µg/kg ), or that in force in the Netherlands for cheese (200 ng/kg).