Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MyToolBox (Safe Food and Feed through an Integrated ToolBox for Mycotoxin Management)

Teaser

It is estimated that the total costs of losses due to mycotoxin contamination as a result of reduced yields, crop losses, increased costs for inspection and analyses, among others, might easily reach billions of Euros annually. It is of no surprise that mycotoxin contamination...

Summary

It is estimated that the total costs of losses due to mycotoxin contamination as a result of reduced yields, crop losses, increased costs for inspection and analyses, among others, might easily reach billions of Euros annually. It is of no surprise that mycotoxin contamination in numerous crops are of major concern for stakeholders all along the food and feed chain. Existing methods of forecasting and detection of mycotoxins in food and feed are being challenged, especially by extreme weather events that are shaking up the entire global mycotoxin-map. To help overcome these challenges, the MyToolBox project is developing a series of integrated measures aimed at reducing losses due to mycotoxin contamination, addressing specifically the most prevalent Fusarium mycotoxins in wheat, oats, maize and feed, ochratoxin A in wheat, and aflatoxins in maize, peanuts and dried figs. Armed with a consortium of multi-actors from across the food and feed chain, incl. 40% industrial partners, MyToolBox tackles mycotoxins beyond the field-to-fork approach by ensuring usability for different stakeholders. Safe use options of mycotoxin-contaminated batches are also being considered, e.g. efficient production of biofuel as an alternative use of otherwise wasted cereal batches.

Work performed

Reduction strategies for farmers, i.e. in the field (pre-harvest), have been tested for their efficacy: Biopesticides and biofumigation techniques for wheat and oats have been tested in field- and glasshouse experiments in the UK and Norway; resistance of maize cultivars against Aspergillus flavus infection have been tested in fields in Italy and Serbia; and an atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strain was isolated and tested in fields in Serbia. These strategies for mycotoxin reduction in maize grown in Southern Europe showed very promising results: Using resistant plant cultivars resulted in up to 98% reduction of aflatoxin B1 at normal yields, while the use of an atoxigenic strain showed aflatoxin B1 reductions of up to 73%. Biocontrol strategies for wheat and oats in the UK and Norway are being optimised. These efforts have been complemented by developing European prediction models, allowing to predict DON contamination in wheat, and fumonisins and aflatoxin contamination in maize, up to 4 days in advance. Biofuel production has shown further promising results: By adding recombinant enzymes to bioethanol production, FB1 and ZEN could be simultaneously degraded up to 99% and 89%, respectively, within the bioethanol production process in lab-scale. Biotranformation was confirmed by formation of the degradation products hydrolyzed FB1 and hydrolyzed ZEN.
Catering to silo managers’ needs, sensors have been developed to predict potential fungal growth – and thus mycotoxin contamination – in wheat and maize stored in European silos. Their functionality and underlying algorithms were tested and improved in pilot-scale silos at BARILLA. By including CO2 as an early-warning parameter, ZEN contamination in wheat and aflatoxin contamination in maize could be forecasted 3-5 days earlier then using only temperature-sensitive sensors. These efforts have been complemented by developing similar prediction models for peanuts stored in large scale silos in China.
Evaluating milling and baking techniques provided encouraging results for food producers and regulators: Different sorting, milling and micronization techniques have been combined and studied to reduce DON contamination in the final product, supported by insights into the transformation of DON during baking. The optimum balance of low DON at high fibre content was achieved by using the second bran fraction combined with hammer milling and sieving sifter, resulting in a final product in which DON levels are well below the maximum limits and total dietary fibre is higher than in standard wholewheat products. Targeted LC-MS/MS based quantification revealed that DON was partially degraded to isoDON (1.3–3.9%), norDON B (0.2–0.9%) and norDON C (0.3–1.2%). A DON degradation of 6% (crackers), 5% (biscuits) and 2% (bread), respectively, was observed. In vitro translation experiments indicate that isoDON is less toxic than DON.
The development of a novel sorting system for dried figs has been progressing significantly since the accession of EVK to the consortium in March 2018. Besides identifying the most suitable optical instrument, algorithms have been developed to sort out aflatoxin-contaminated dried figs only, thus reducing possible false positives.
Overall, the MyToolBox e-platform is gaining shape: Besides including the real-time forecasting of mycotoxins in fields and silos, available information such as Good Agricultural Practices, sampling schemes, scenarios for cropping seasons, regulations, etc. have been analysed, combined and transformed into easy-to-understand text to ensure that end-users all along the food and feed chain find suitable information – informed and tested particularly by focus-group meetings with potential end-users held in the Netherlands, Serbia, Italy and Norway.
To achieve maximum feedback, a strong dissemination plan was followed, including not only sharing results in scientific communities, but reaching out to industries and end-users through tar

Final results

To date, appropriate biocontrol agents to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize are not available for use in South-East Europe. Application of the isolated and filed Aspergillus strain provides a novel adaptation within the EU of proven technology developed in the US and Africa and aided by cooperation with international experts from the University of Arizona.
Another innovation lies in the MyToolBox silo monitoring system: Current practice in silo management is to measure temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) (periodically or remotely). A sensor measuring CO2, T and RH simultaneously is highly novel and will provide silo managers with access to accurate information for making informed decisions immediately.
To increase fractions of reduced mycotoxin contamination at maximum fibre content during milling, the most efficient combination of milling techniques has been identified and tested. Besides low DON and higher fibre content, the selected fraction showed also lower content of commonly found pesticide residues and heavy metals, and increase levels of antioxidants – an interesting product to test further marketability. Biofuel production can be an alternative use option for otherwise discarded contaminated cereal batches. The lab-scale tests have revealed promising results that are now being upscaled.
Unlike previous projects and standards, the MyToolBox project leverages a fully integrated multi-actor approach with high end user involvement to tackle mycotoxins along the food and feed chain. The impacts of reduced mycotoxin risks in crops will result in reduced losses along the food chain, and by providing tracable information along the supply chain using mainstream ICT technology it is reaching out to improve health, safety and wellbeing of consumers.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.mytoolbox.eu.